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General Information

• What is Adobe Labs?
• Why did Adobe start the Labs site?
• What can I do on Labs? What can I learn?
• Who should use Adobe Labs?
• Can I deploy applications built with Labs technologies for commercial or institutional use?
• So does that mean that I can I share my work with other designers and developers? Can I post it on my blog?
• What if my Blog contains advertising like Google AdSense?
• What type of support is offered for the technologies on Labs?
• Does Labs replace the Adobe Prerelease Programs?
• If I’m participating in an Adobe Labs program, will I automatically get in the Beta Program for that product?
  
• If I post a document or topic in the Wiki what is expected of me, as far as responding and updating content based on feedback?
• If I find a bug in a project on Adobe Labs or want to suggest an additional feature, what should I do?

General Information

What is Adobe Labs?

Adobe Labs is a new site that shares an early look at emerging products and technologies from Adobe. Technologies on Labs could include early releases of products, useful toolkits, individual components, or just interesting ideas from the Adobe engineering team. Some of the technologies on Labs may turn into new products, or become part of existing products. Based on user feedback and market opportunity, other technologies may never become part of a product, but will continue to be hosted in Labs as a resource to the community.

Why did Adobe start the Labs site?

The intent of Labs is to make Adobe technology more accessible and easier to experiment with and evaluate, earlier than ever before. Labs provides users a way to work with early releases of new products and technologies, provide feedback, develop collaborative samples, and discuss ideas with other developers in the community.

What can I do on Labs? What can I learn?

Labs features early access downloads to new products and emerging technologies. The site also contains technical content including samples, documentation, FAQs, release notes, tutorials, and screen/podcasts. Through online forums, the community can discuss ideas in a threaded format and search discussions on technical topics; through a Wiki, users can post comments and collaborate on samples and technical articles. Samples still under development are stored in a public source control system so that users can track progress, and in some cases, contribute to collaborative development efforts. Labs users can subscribe to RSS feeds to stay up to date on updates to the Wiki, samples, technical content, and of course new technology downloads.

Who should use Adobe Labs?

Labs is for any designer or developer who wants to get the earliest possible access to emerging technologies from Adobe. Labs can help developers evaluate forthcoming technologies for projects, as well as build expertise earlier than ever before. However, emerging technologies on Labs are just that—emerging. Technologies on Labs are not polished or complete, and are for evaluation and experimentation purposes only.

Can I deploy applications built with Labs technologies for commercial or institutional use?

Unless noted otherwise, no. Technologies on Labs are available to help provide early insight and gather feedback. In general they are not licensed for deployment of applications or websites unless you are trying to determine whether to purchase a license.

So does that mean that I can I share my work with other designers and developers? Can I post it on my blog?

Absolutely. While you can’t deploy applications for commercial use, we encourage Labs designers and developers to show their work to others on non-commercial personal websites or blogs, as the feedback you get will be valuable. And note that Labs will include a showcase where you can post your work.

What if my Blog contains advertising like Google AdSense?

That’s ok. As long as your blog is a blog with your personal opinions, and not helping run your institution, you can still showcase your work with Labs technologies on your blog. And we strongly encourage you to do so.

What type of support is offered for the technologies on Labs?

Adobe will provide documentation, release notes, and other technical content. Answers to technical questions will be available on forums and wikis, from Adobe and other community designers and developers. The members of Adobe product and developer relations teams will actively participate in the Wiki and the forums, but no official Technical Support for labs technologies is available.

Does Labs replace the Adobe Prerelease Programs?

No. Adobe will continue to conduct Prerelease Programs for upcoming product releases. Prerelease Programs differ from Labs in that they typically are not open to the general public and have fewer participants. For more information and details regarding how to apply to select Prerelease Programs, please review the Adobe Prerelease Programs article.

If I’m participating in a Adobe Labs program, will I automatically get in the Prerelease Program for that product?

No, but you can apply to become a Prerelease tester by completing a survey for that product. Anyone who is interested in participating is welcome and encouraged to apply. All applicants will be reviewed by the Prerelease Programs manager, and then by the appropriate product team. To apply to participate in Adobe Prerelease Programs, please review the Adobe Prerelease Programs article.

If I post a document or topic in the Wiki what is expected of me, as far as responding and updating content based on feedback?

We encourage users to spend as much time as they would like helping others learn more about the use of Labs technologies. The Wiki permits the community to edit and update community documents and topics, so if original poster can no longer participate in that discussion, the community can help ensure that this information is up to date.

If I find a bug in a project on Adobe Labs or want to suggest an additional feature, what should I do?

Please post the bug or feature request in the appropriate online forum for the product or technology you’re evaluating. If you are posting a bug, please be sure to include clear and concise steps to reproduce the problem, include operating system, browser, and if possible, a small code snippet. This will enable both your fellow Labs designers and developers and Adobe to comment, suggest possible workarounds, and if appropriate, pass along to our engineering teams.