Spry Framework for AJAX Prerelease 1.1 Released on Adobe Labs
Adobe Labs has released the first update to the Spry framework for AJAX. Spry v.1.0 was initially released in the beginning of May.

The Spry framework for AJAX is a JavaScript library for web designers that provides functionality that allows designers to build pages that provide a richer experience for their users. It is designed to bring Ajax to the web design community who can benefit from AJAX, but are not well served by other frameworks.

The first release of the Spry framework is a preview of the data capabilities that enable designers to incorporate XML data into their HTML documents using HTML, CSS, and a minimal amount of JavaScript, without the need for refreshing the entire page. The Spry framework is HTML-centric, and easy to implement for users with basic knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The framework was designed such that the markup is simple and the JavaScript is minimal. The Spry framework can be used by anyone who is authoring for the web in their tool of choice.

AdobeLabs said this is just the start of the project. A preview build has been released so that developers have plenty of time to post feedback on what's working for them, and what isn't.

CS2 Sales Slowing Down as CS3 Nears, Says PiperJaffray Analyst
"Since Adobe provided its second quarter intra-quarter update on May 2nd indicating that it expects results toward the lower end of guidance based on 'spring break,' investors have been trying to get their arms around causes of weakness in the quarter," PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster told clients recently.

Munster said NPD data for the first two month's of Adobe's May quarter indicates a slow down in orders for the company's Creative Suite bundle as consumers begin to anticipate the launch of Creative Suite 3.0 in the spring of 2007.

"Based on an analysis of NPD data," he added, "we believe the beginning of a slow down in the Creative Suite prior to CS3 are likely the cause of the company pointing to the low end of guidance for Q2."

PiperJaffray maintains Outperform ratings on Adobe, with as price target of $45.

Flash Professional 9 ActionScript 3.0 Preview
Adobe Flash Professional 9 ActionScript 3.0 Preview provides registered users of Flash Professional 8 with early access to the new ActionScript 3.0 language and the ability to publish to the newly released Flash Player 9. ActionScript 3.0 and the new ActionScript Virtual Machine introduced with Flash Player 9 are among the most signficant advances in the history of Flash. These new advancements, made in Flash Player 9, provide a more robust programming model, achieve standards compliance, and deliver ground-breaking performance improvements.

Simon Horwith Interviews Ben Forta About Flex 2.0, Dreamweaver, and More
Anyone reading Web Developer's & Designer's Journal who for any reason might have missed it to date should take a look at this SYS-CON.TV interview: www.sys-con.tv/read/193501.htm.

In it, Adobe evangelist Ben Forta is in full flow, and it's well worth watching.