Adobes efforts with Flex 2 are aimed at raising the competitiveness level of the Flex platform with Asynchronous JavaScript and XML development systems and concomitantly lowering the prices for the deployment of Flex. This because Flex customers had to pay no less than $ 15.000 for each computer just to have a go with Flex SDK, part of the Flex Presentation Server. The new Flex 2 provides users with certain free features such as Flex Software Development Kit.

The Flex 2 platform works with the omnipresent Flash Player and features the Flex 2 SDK; Flex Data Services; a Flex Builder 2 IDE; and the Flex framework. After taking over Macromedia, Adobe Systems wants to increase the usage of its newly acquired technology to over a million users in five years. The goal set by Adobe is ambitious to say the least as Flex users account for approximately 5.000 developers as yet.

"We're coming out with the pricing model to bring developers to our platform," said Jeff Whatcott, Adobe senior director of product marketing.

The price cut was actually the sole solution viable that would eventually translate into competitiveness at the very level of the pricing model that has been prohibiting for many developers.

Adobe also improved the capabilities of data management between server and client applications. Flex 2, XML and Web services can handle connections to servers that process data accessed infrequently and small payloads. Flex Data Services 2 Express software link data and the presentation layer in advanced applications. Flex 2 also supports charting and graphing, and can be deployed together with AJAX.

Based on the Eclipse open source software the Flex Builder 2 IDE costs $499, however Flex Data Services licensing starts at $20,000 for every CPU.