AOL, Macromedia Bring Flash to IM

Today you can find current weather on the Web, then use instant messaging to warn your friends at their PCs and cell phones that a downpour's on the way. As early as next year, you may be able to do both of these--plus find a movie theater where you can take shelter from the storm, and blog the entire experience--in a browser-free software environment that combines Web and IM functions.

America Online and Macromedia are working together to integrate instant messaging with Web and wireless applications. They plan to offer a Software Development Kit early in 2004 that will let developers work features of AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ into a software environment called Macromedia Central. The two companies announced their partnership this week at the Macromedia Developers Conference.

Macromedia Central, announced earlier this year, is based on Macromedia Flash. It can deliver Web or network content to PCs or wireless devices without requiring an open browser window. Central applications can be automatically updated with new information such as current weather, news, or movie listings. The Software Development Kit is a step toward integrating messaging and presence with Macromedia applications, says Kevin Lynch, Macromedia's chief software architect.

"This is a renaissance in application development," Lynch says.

Central and IM go together "like chocolate and peanut butter," quips Edmund Fish, senior vice president and general manager of AOL desktop messaging. "Presence and communication are core capabilities. Those same powerful features of IM can be used in other applications."

Sample Applications

Fish foresees IM working with Central applications such as Macromedia Movie Finder.

"You've just found a movie that looks great, then you want to know if your friends want to go," he offers as an example. Macromedia Movie Finder already uses one interface to search film ratings at Rotten Tomatoes, check show times though Tribune Media, and buy tickets through Fandango; adding IM would allow you to round up your friends through the same interface.

The possibilities extend beyond simply tossing your AIM Buddy List into other applications.

"The partnership opens the door for developers to build applications that add context through online forums such as discussion groups, virtual classrooms, and multiparty chat," Lynch says.

The partners plan to also add IM to Central application BlogReader, so blog keepers can broadcast their presence status to readers. A reader could look at the presence monitor and opt to IM the keeper instead of taking the slower routes of posting a comment or sending an e-mail message. However, due to security concerns, Central will not allow file transfers through IM.

Other Details

AIM and ICQ users will retain their accustomed screen names in the Central environment, says Jamie Odell, AOL's director of product management for AIM.

Central will offer Flash versions of AIM and ICQ. In return, AIM will promote Central and make it easy to download and install that program. The IM clients "will look remarkably similar," Fish says. AOL "won't alter that user interface." Lynch adds, "It's very seamless."

Central is available for both commercial and noncommercial application development. An early Developer Release of Central is already available at Macromedia's Web site. Some third-party Central applications may be out late this year. Developers can decide to create either commercial or noncommercial applications.

Sumner Lemon of the IDG News Service contributed to this report.

Note: PCWorld.com has a partnership agreement to provide content to America Online.