Adobe prepares Apollo for take-off

Adobe has shipped an early test version of its Apollo cross-operating system runtime that allows developers to marry online and offline applications. 

The company unveiled a very early 'alpha' test version on Monday as a free download to developers, including a software development kit and the runtime environment that allows Apollo applications to be executed. 

The platform allows an application to pull data off the internet and post local data online. When no internet connection is detected, the application will cache all information and send it when the connection is restored.

Apollo supports existing techniques used for building internet applications, including HTML, JavaScript and Flash.

Adobe has demonstrated a desktop application developed by eBay that allows users to place bids, maintain watch lists and post new items for sale.

The application is accessed through a regular icon, whereas most of today's internet applications are displayed inside a browser.

Adobe is a major player in the internet development and design market. It owns the Flash programming platform that powers online video services like YouTube, as well as development and design tools ranging from Dreamweaver to Photoshop.

The Apollo development tools are currently available for Windows and Mac OS X. A Linux version has been promised for the future. A beta version is scheduled for release this summer and the final product is expected later this year.