"I have a mind like a steel... uh... thingy." Patrick Logan's weblog.

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Thursday, October 04, 2007

Protected Game Preserves

That's how Bob Warfield refers to how Adobe, Microsoft, and SAP are approaching Software as a Service (SaaS). There's something different about Adobe relative to the other two.

Microsoft and SAP are figuring out how to transition gigantic cash cows into a world that is rapidly leaving them behind. Not so much for Adobe.

Adobe bought BuzzWord. They now have an early beta of an interesting word processor. They also have a few more apparently kickass flash/flex developers and creative software designers.

As opposed to MSFT's and SAP's situations, the fact that BuzzWord doesn't compete with other current Adobe products is probably an advantage. BuzzWord as a product may or may not ever matter.

Adobe's strengths in the new world appears to be (1) graphics, especially as they become more web-friendly, e.g. Thermo is hot.

And (2) their own decent runtime from Macromedia, something relatively easy to build upon compared to java or dotnet, from a company with decent developer relationships.

I think considering the company as a whole, Adobe has some good stuff to take into the new world. MSFT and SAP have bigger transitions to make, product-wise and company culture-wise. Not that I would bet much against them, because they are f'ing big and know how to sell software to vice presidents.

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Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm usually writing from my favorite location on the planet, the pacific northwest of the u.s. I write for myself only and unless otherwise specified my posts here should not be taken as representing an official position of my employer. Contact me at my gee mail account, username patrickdlogan.