Corel Delivers Macromedia Flash to Linux

Software solutions developer Corel Corp. (Nasdaq: CORL) announced this week that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACR) to bring Macromedia Flash technology to its distribution of the Linux operating system.

The addition of Macromedia's Flash product -- which is already included with current versions of the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows OS packages -- will enable users to view Flash-generated Web content without having to download a player.

Adding Life to the Web

Macromedia Flash is a solution for high-impact, vector-based Web sites that deliver motion, sound, interactivity and graphics. According to Corel, Flash content is delivered with a rich, compact file that can be streamed quickly from any Web server.

Corel will also incorporate Macromedia Flash into its CorelDRAW 9 for Linux product and develop the CorelDRAW Exporter for Macromedia Flash. Flash files exported from CorelDRAW 9 can be used to add animation, interactivity, MP3 audio compression and other features to Web sites.

The source code for Macromedia Flash is freely available to device and platform developers, and the company published its Flash file format as an open Web standard. The San Francisco, California-based Macromedia has a stated company mission to "add life to the Web."

Corel and Linux

The Macromedia agreement comes on the heels of Corel's announced merger agreement with Internet access tools and services provider Inprise/Borland Corp. (Nasdaq: INPR) in a stock deal worth close to $2.44 billion (US$).

The merger of the Linux-focused companies has created a single entity -- operating under the Corel name -- which is set to offer a range of solutions, including development tools, productivity applications and professional services for the open-source operating system and other major platforms.

WordPerfect 8 for Linux was Corel's market offering for the open-source OS, released in December 1998. The company followed up with its own OS distribution, debuted at COMDEX in November 1999, and a recent beta version of its WordPerfect Office 2000 suite for Linux.

The company's involvement with Linux is a direct outgrowth of its UNIX experience and the open-source community. Derik Belair, brand manager for Linux at Corel, told the E-Commerce Times that the company has substantially contributed to a couple of open-source projects, including Debian, KDE (K Desktop Environment) and WINE.

Corel's Linux OS package is based on Debian, a distribution maintained by a legion of international volunteer developers.