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As we reported in this morning's reboot, [Adobe has open-sourced a bundle of code][1] to the Mozilla Foundation under the name Tamarin. The whooping 135,000 lines of code in today's release constitute the largest single contribution to the Mozilla foundation since its inception.
The code consists primarily of the source behind Adobe's ActionScript Virtual Machine, but that doesn't mean Adobe is open sourcing the Flash player.
ActionScript 3.0, the language used in the Flash Player v9.0, is based on an International Standard by the name of ECMAScript. ECMAScript is also the basis of Javascript, which is the language behind the ever-growing AJAX technologies.
But the difference between ActionScript and Javascript is more than just semantics. ActionScript requires the Flash plugin which handles the rendering of code. Javascript on the other hand, is processed and rendered by the web browser.
One of the problems for AJAX developers is that every major browser has its own Javascript virtual machine. Internet Explorer uses what it calls JScript, while Mozilla uses an implementation known as SpiderMonkey. Adobe's ActionScript on the other hand has always used a third renderer which is built into the Flash player.
While all three of these renderers are *based* around ECMAScript, they all vary somewhat on how they process the actual code. These variations make developing complex cross-platform AJAX applications difficult and sometimes impossible.
Today's announcement essentially means that the Mozilla and Internet Explorer now have access to the same rendering implementation that Adobe uses in ActionScript. Adobe hopes that this release will help build a standardized rendering engine for all implementations of ECMAScript.
Adobe claims it's "Just In Time" compiler can render up to ten times faster than Mozilla's SpiderMonkey.
The end result will see Adobe's virtual machine built into future versions of the Firefox browser in early 2008. Microsoft hasn't publicly commented on Adobe's release yet, but given the five years between IE 6 and IE 7 it seems unlikely we'll see IE incorporating the new VM any time soon.
[1]: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200611/110706Mozilla.html "Adobe releases Tamarin"
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