In a remarkable response to Apple's shot across the bow -- which received considerable press -- Adobe's Platform Evangelist Lee Brimelow challenged all developers not to become "pawns in [Apple's] crusade against Adobe. As if that were not sufficiently clear, Brimelow continued: "Any real developer would not in good conscience be able to support [Apple's move]."
And, if that weren't sufficiently clear, how about this? He concluded his blog post with this subtle nugget -- "Go screw yourself Apple."
Wait a second? What was that? No you didn't! ... Yes, he did!
Now, THAT is a remarkable public statement from a top executive at Adobe, or any tech giant, or any other public or private company for that matter. Yes, Brimelow wrote this in his own unofficial blog -- i.e., not officially sanctioned Adobe blog -- but you gotta think that he cleared it with Adobe's top brass before he posted it (or at least soon thereafter). The post itself indicates that he removed a sentence from his post "at request from Adobe" -- meaning that Adobe apparently has not requested that he take the rest of it down! And, the blog is called "TheFlashBlog" for god's sake!
(One more thing that is really wacky here -- when you click Brimelow's bio on his blog, you get a strange drawing of someone doing arm curls with the following quote -- "My resolution is to get healthier while still destroying myself with alcohol and drugs." Huh, come again? It is getting wackier and wackier!)
Brimelow's (and hence, Adobe's) move is a bold one, for sure. But a smart one?
One thing is for certain -- Apple's body-blow is not winning it any friends right now in the developer community. But, does Apple really care? Apple's transgressions almost always seem to be forgotten as we all hold cool shiny products in our worshipping hands ...
