Kristen Banham

This year Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.4 billion. What many do not realize is that these companies have been successfully "dating" in the digital publishing world for six years. In 1999, Integration New Media Inc. (INM), based in Montreal, Canada envisaged cost-effective, smart, immersive applications that would make for a greatly improved experience for developers and end-users alike. Why not combine the strengths of Adobe and Macromedia to create the best possible user experience for those working in digital publishing? It was a match made in heaven. Adobe's PDF file format offered many advantages. A worldwide standard, PDF was universal and easy-to-use; it provided high-quality printing and display, cross-platform capabilities and cost-effective production. Macromedia's Director software offered an esta... (more)