Adobe sets its code free

Adobe has never been known for opening up its applications and tools to outside development. Adobe Source Libraries is the software giant’s step in the right direction.

Adobe Source Libraries is Adobe’s initiative to improve the development and evolution of their programs thanks to help from the community GNU GPL. However, the libraries released here are not under GNU but under the MIT license, which is somewhere in between.

Adam and Eve are the codename for the C libraries responsible for the visual appearance and behavior of the Adobe applications, including Photoshop and Acrobat, and Adobe Source Libraries allow you to harness and improve or adapt the same thing. The release of the two libraries coincides with the creation of an Adobe website dedicated to the open source applications which you can view at opensource.adobe.com.

Adobe Source Libraries is a welcome radical new move by Adobe that sees it at least take steps toward the open source community for the first time.