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Adobe has announced plans to open source Flex under the Mozilla Public License. This includes the source to the ActionScript components from the Flex SDK (which have been available in source code form with the SDK since Flex 2 was released) as well as the Java source code for the ActionScript and MXML compilers, the ActionScript debugger and the core ActionScript libraries from the SDK. The Flex SDK includes all of the components needed to create Flex applications. Details posted on Labs. Scoble has posted comments, interviews, and more.

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I will looking open source with big inerest

# Posted By Lonew | 4/26/07 2:52 AM

This is awesome news...next one to be Open Source ....Coldfusion ? :)))

# Posted By Francesco | 4/26/07 4:33 AM

Yeah! Open Source Coldfusion Now!!!!

# Posted By oliver_l1 | 4/26/07 6:16 AM

hats off to the folks at Adobe. brilliant move.

# Posted By hibiscusroto | 4/26/07 7:43 AM

Ben - I'm not sure how this improves things for Flex - it was already free (only the IDE charged for), it was set up to allow developers to create their own components to extend the existing framework and the framework is very robust as is. 95% of what a corporate developer wants to do, can already be done with the existing product.

Then again - I'm already knowledgeable about the product, and I don't buy into the FUD myths. Is this a PR play? Something to placate teh very small, but vocal open source community?

p.s., Take ColdFusion open source and I'm moving to ASP.

Cheers,

Davo

# Posted By David | 4/26/07 8:16 AM

David, hate to see you go. But if that is what it takes to get CF to open source you can count on me seeking to win you back! I think that Linux (Check out what is going on with Linspire, FreeSpire, and Ubuntu!), Flex, Apache and products like Eclipse show that power of Open Source can be just as powerful as private source commercial. If we base failure rate the chances are just as high for private commercial demise as open source.

So... count me in on the Open Source CF!

# Posted By John Farrar | 4/26/07 9:00 AM

Open source CF? That's going to be much tougher to pull off, but you never know.

David, you are correct, this applies to Flex SDK which is already free, and not to Flex Builder or FDS. It's not just a PR play, making the SDK open source will A) encourage a wider audience to look at Flex which in turn helps the core platform, B) may actually add value back into Flex too.

--- Ben

# Posted By Ben Forta | 4/26/07 9:24 AM

John - well you haven't lost me, as the "Open Source CF" seems to be something that the pro-open source community brings up from time to time, but never gets repeated in serious circles - yes, I know, I'm painting in broad strokes there, and I'm sure someone has said one thing, once, that could be siezed upon to puncture holes in my argument, the general jist of my statement is is true. While I assume you are correct about Linux (I'm not a linux person), lets have some context - Linux was always open source, and it has a small base. I personally think a private company could have got its market share to 5% just as quickly.

But we digress - I don't want to take away from the specific blog post, and the great buzz it's creating.

Flex forever! I've only been developing in Flex since the late 1.5 days, and I'm no expert, but I have to tell you, it's the easiest sell to senior management that I've ever had of any technology.

Congrats to the Adobe folks!

Davo

# Posted By David | 4/26/07 10:03 AM

Now that's it's in the same namespace as the original Flex open source development tool (Free lex), they should consider a name change as well. ;)

(PS: I'm mostly kidding)

# Posted By Damien | 4/26/07 10:56 AM

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Flex Going Open Source