Macromedia and Adobe Planning to Tie the Knot

Another concern about this acquisition is that it would create another software monopoly, as Adobe’s major competition would be eliminated. This would leave Adobe to reign over the dominant text and web publication programs. Of course, there are other programs that are still in competition with the Adobe and Macromedia lot. QuarkXPress is preferred by some professionals, even if others cringe at its name. And don’t forget Microsoft Publisher and FrontPage, which are sufficient for some users. Among others, Corel Paint Shop Pro is also available as a very competant and less expensive alternative to Photochop. It's surprising that Corel's nice (and growing) design suite isn't more popular. Then there are other programs as well for those inclined to hunt for them or try out the offerings of open source.

Microsoft is developing a new technology that may give Adobe a run for its money in competition. Called the "PDF Killer," they have released a program called Metro. Its impact on Adobe is still speculation, but this is definitely a source of competition. Perhaps news of Metro's release helped to sweeten the deal for the companies, making it a matter of survival against Microsoft. People afraid of an Adobe monopoly should also consider the potential for a Microsoft one.

The market may not be exactly what it was, but this capitalism. It may not be exclusively bad. With some of the similar design programs consolidating, this leaves fewer programs to be concerned with following and updating. You won’t try Macromedia’s Freehand and decide that you wasted the $499 you already spent on Illustrator. You won’t have to keep paying for both competing products if they have slightly differing features that you need. If PDF and Flash merge somehow, your list of browser plug-ins that you have to keep updating may thankfully shorten.

It’s true that combining these two companies may remove the choice users have between the advantages of the competing products, but whether this is really a problem is dependant on how the new company manages and integrates these products. Some are concerned that all of the Macromedia products they enjoy will be discontinued or that Adobe will integrate them very poorly. This isn’t reasonable. Actually, since the bickering and threats of lawsuits over user interfaces will be finished between these companies, they can meld the benefits of the two GUIs and feature packages that they couldn’t before. As separate companies, patents stand in the way of their progress.

Also keep in mind that the companies have announced no plans to eliminate staff or programmers. In their words they are “joining forces.” CEO Stephen Elop will become Adobe’s president of Worldwide Field Operations, “responsible for Adobe's sales, field marketing, professional services, sales operations, customer service and technical support.” The rest of Macromedia’s executives expect to be integrated into key leadership positions in Adobe. This is to say that Macromedia’s talent and vision is not disappearing; rather it is going to aid the direction and development in the same way Adobe’s current staff will. Certainly with the popularity of Macromedia’s Dreamweaver, for example, the program’s integration and new development will not be outside of the current staff’s control. The new company will have the potential to create some very powerful combinations of their programs.