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So, what is Adobe AIR, and how can it make web application development and deployment better?
Adobe AIR is a cross-operating-system runtime developed by Adobe that allows web developers to leverage their existing web development skills (such as Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and PDF) to build and deploy RIAs and content to the desktop.
In essence, Adobe AIR provides a platform in between the desktop and the browser, which combines the reach and ease of development of the web model with the functionality and richness of the desktop model.
It is important to step back for a second and point out what Adobe AIR is not. Adobe AIR is not a general desktop runtime meant to compete with lower-level application runtimes. Adobe AIR is coming from the Web to the desktop and is targeted at web developers. Its primary use case is to enable web applications and RIAs to be deployed to the desktop. This is a very important but subtle distinction, as enabling web applications and RIAs on the desktop is the primary use case driving the Adobe AIR 1.0 feature set.
At its core, Adobe AIR is built on top of web technologies, which allow web developers to develop for and deploy to the desktop using the same technologies and development models that they use today when deploying applications on the Web.
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