Longhorn's Flash Killer?

SunSaw writes "Erin Joyce reports on internetnews.com that "Top developers at Microsoft are working on a new graphics and animation toolset for Longhorn (the next generation of Windows) that could spell trouble for Macromedia's popular Flash MX and Director MX animation tools". Flash's yet-to-be-released competition from M$ is code named "Sparkle" but it wasn't demonstrated during Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles last week. Is this the beginning of the end for Macromedia?"

Has to be said

[grub]

Meet Sparkle's new mascot. [actionfig.com]
ObSimpsonsRef

So will their new slogan...

[Anonymous Coward]

...be "For lucky best web experience, use MS Sparkle"?

Re:Finally!

[Nevo]

I was always told that NT stood for "New Technology." Which might explain why they removed the moniker from Windows 2000...

Please, oh god, please

[SuperBanana]

Lets see- Flash killer, by company that will never port it to Linux or OS X...

[stands up and cheers MS on]

Re:Actually, It'll Help Macromedia

[IWorkForMorons]

Yeah...just like all those people who only started using Access in order to learn relational DB management...

You mean in only 3 to 4 years, Microsoft will ...

[burgburgburg]

have an astonishingly buggy piece of software tied intrinsically to their newly released incredibly buggy operating system that will have about 10% of the functionality that Macromedia Flash has now? One that only by the 3rd or 4th version (in another 3 years) might be adequate? Damn, I'm selling my Macromedia stock right now!

Re:You mean in only 3 to 4 years, Microsoft will .

[adamshelley]

But think of the benefits...

Instead of just getting pictures of people smiling, happy because they had bought some viagra, we could get animated personalized sparkley animations in our inbox now complete with time lapsed grown animations over an hour period. IT'LL BE WONDERFUL.

c'mon, can't you share my vision?

Re:Not sure

[danigiri]

Those graphic designers are hard to get to switch to something new. Many know MacOS and Apple so well, I can't see them switching. I'm guessing M$ will somehow disable interoperability support in their OS.

Windows? Couldn't they come up with a better name? The blatant rip-off of not only ideas, but names, is insane.

Re:What isn't MS bundling into Longhorn?

[kfg]

Former registry content will now be distributed across directories into a new file type)

Maybe they should call them "initialization" files and give them the extentsion ".ini".

The only problem would be getting people to accept such bold new technology, but I think it has merit.

KFG

Mr Sparkle the washing powder?

[CrackedButter]

Hasn't a Japanese company got a trademark on this name?

Re:Has to be said

[IntelliTubbie]

I am disrespectful to Flash! Can you see that I am serious? Join me or die!

Cheers,
IT

Emoticon?

[TeknoHog]

Linux: :)

Windows: XP

Top developers!

[perbu]

Top developers at Microsoft are working on a new graphics and animation toolset for Longhorn

Ahh. This explains the BSODs. They use second grade developers for the kernel and such.

Down with Macromedia!

[t0ny]

Flash: the prefered language for annoying advertisments and lay-overs...

I for one welcome our new Sparkle overlords.