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SAN FRANCISCO -- Macromedia is offering a glimpse of the Web's future, and it leaves the browser behind. Macromedia Central, announced at the FlashForward 2003 conference here, lets users view Web content via the company's ubiquitous Flash player, no browser necessary.

The service, coming this summer, is similar to an old-style offline browser, where information is cached automatically so that it is available whether the user is connected to the Internet or not.

Instead of moving from site to site to collect information within a browser, Central delivers the information in a small window that persists on your screen. You can click the weather map icon, for example, to display the current atmospheric conditions in your area. Choose the sports button to get the latest scores, or the Amazon.com button to view a list of new books from your favorite authors, all without opening a browser.

Central can detect when the user is online, and will automatically connect to download information.

Bye-Bye Browser

For users, Central does away with the confusion of moving from a browser-based interface to a stand-alone application, to provide consistency between online and offline use, according to Lea Hickman, senior director of market development at Macromedia.

The ability of Central applications to cooperate is another benefit. Hickman gives the example of sending friends directions to a restaurant. Since the restaurant's address is included in its directory listing, you need only to drag the address to a map application to highlight the restaurant's location on a map that you can send to your friends with one click. No need to enter the restaurant's address manually.

Central delivers Web data without the browser overhead. The environment is only 400KB to 500KB in size, Hickman says.

"It's a much better user experience than you could possibly get in a Web browser," says Kevin Lynch, Macromedia executive vice president and chief software architect.

Users decide which applications they want to run in the environment, such as a real-time stock ticker, a company telephone directory, and a traffic cam, for example.

Building Applications

Macromedia promises to include several applications when the service is unveiled, but the key to Central's success will be the programs Flash developers create using the Macromedia Central software development kit, a beta of which will be available from the company next month, according to Lynch.

"One of the things we're trying to do with the trial period is to see where the developer community takes us," Hickman says. She expects the first Central applications to be designed for individuals, but eventually the technology will move into departments and then throughout enterprises.

Central is intended to provide Flash application developers with an outlet for selling their wares, with Macromedia handling the sales transactions.

Developers will be able to post their Central applications for downloading from Macromedia servers. They will be able to set a price and a trial period for the applications. When the trial period expires, the application stops working; but when a user clicks the buy button, Macromedia takes the order and deposits the money into the developer's account, minus the company's commission.

Also debuting at FlashForward 2003 were Macromedia's Flash Player 6 for Pocket PC 2002, with enhanced support for video and other rich Internet applications, and version 1.5 of the Flash Communication Server MX, which adds support for HTTP Tunneling and Secure Sockets Layer for enhanced security.

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