MACLOVER1.1  AIR: possibly the worst piece of crap ever invented on mac.  
(Version 1.5.2)

MACLOVER1.1  I've never had issues as I have with Adobe products, I'll vote them most horrendous company after Microsoft.  
(Version 1.5.2)

RPPHOTO  Does Air actually work on Apple computers? It probably does, but not for me: every time I try to install an Air application, I get an error box that says Air is not installed properly. So, I uninstall every element I can find, go to Adobe and run the new installer. No luck. I've tried every version, always with the same result. Anyone know how to fix it?  
(Version 1.5)

MACSWEEP  Sounds like to me Adobe Air emulates

(on the desktop) the server-side environment to test web apps. PHP and some others scripts need to be on the server to function.  
(Version 1.1)

SZABESZ  "So, it is a development system?"

No, it is not. It is a runtime environment like one Java has, and needs to be installed in order to run applications developed for it.

"There aren't enough development systems in the world?"

Yes, you are right. There aren't enough development systems in the world. Period.

"Why do I want to run on the Adobe servers?"

Obviously you don't want, and you don't have to. Except for de download time of the installed package.

"If I loose internet connection I'm down, instantaneously? Sounds like back to "Save Often or loose it all!" "

In this case, you miss the point. It has nothing to do with continuos internet connection.  
(Version 1.0.1)

JNSBOW  So, it is a development system? Another development system?!? There aren't enough development systems in the world? Why do I want to run on the Adobe servers? If I loose internet connection I'm down, instantaneously? Sounds like back to "Save Often or loose it all!"   
(Version 1.0.1)

MEGAMOOSE  To the earlier reviewer who was wondering how this is different than Flex, AIR allows developers to write stand-alone applications using Flex, HTML, and/or Javascript. In other words, it allows us web developers to create stand-alone applications using the technologies we use every day. This is not like Google Gears or Firefox's offline data storage -- these are full blown applications that have much the same capabilities as a native application (with the huge advantage of being cross-platform). I've already used it to convert some of my Flex apps into standalone applications for use at trade-shows.  
(Version 1.0.1)

TIM27  I don't understand what AIR is for, especially since Flex is out. You already have Flex, Flash, Widgets and Gadgets. They all can do similar things. And Flash content can be integrated into Widgets and Gadgets.

And on top of that, now you have another app to download and install rather than just a widget or gadget, which is integrated into the operating system of either Windows or Mac OS.

This seems like a complete waste of time or resources. Either that, or Adobe should be combining Flex with this? But it seems like they do pretty similar things already.  
(Version 1.0)

MORI57  For those of you too busy to do more than make snide comments about a product you haven't bothered reading even the simplest introductory article on (many readily available from Adobe's wiki), I thought I'd take a few minutes out of my own busy schedule:

1) AIR (formerly "Apollo") is to the desktop what Flash Player is to the web browser. That is, you write content for AIR, compile it, and then people can download it and run it like a regular desktop application. And, yes, this means that you now have access to desktop-side faculties, such as the filesystem.

2) One chief difference between AIR and other dev tools is that you can use a mixture of HTML, XML, Javascript, Actionscript, Flex, etc. You're not limited to the script libraries that Adobe provides, either. Jack Slocum's Ext library, for example, is used to create a really nifty looking Task tracking app.

3) Adobe's purpose is to create an application development platform that allows the huge community of web developers use of their already-existing skills for desktop development. A secondary purpose, of course, is to allow web apps to be brought to the desktop for offline-enabled apps... apps that update when you're connected, but are still usable (in a limited sense, like composing email using Mail offline) when you're not.

4) The fact that Adobe has put more effort into bringing this technology out in a beta form shows more interest in creating a grassroots community. Branding can come later; the hardest part is getting developers interested in using the tools.

5) AIR is cross-platform. There is a runtime for Mac and for Windows, and I'm certain that if the Linux community gets pushing, there will be one for them as well.

6) Not only that, but Aptana has plug-ins that allow you to develop HTML/Javascript based AIR apps, for free, at the moment. Whether that will stay that way, I haven't heard, but you can at least give it a try.  
(Version 1.0b1)

BRIAN KENDIG  So, what is this? Is it a free tool to let me write Flash applications? Or some kind of front-end if I already purchased the Flash developer kit, or what?  
(Version 1.0b1)