Adobe acquires Buzzword web word processor

Stephen Withers
Monday, 01 October 2007 10:39

Business IT - Technology

Adobe has agreed to acquire Virtual Ubiquity, the developer of the Buzzword online word processor.

Buzzword was built using Adobe's Flex IDE, and runs in the Flash player.

Rick Treitman, CEO of Virtual Ubiquity, described Buzzword as "an online word processor for the 'Facebook generation' that focuses on working together online, without sacrificing quality."

The software allows more than one person to edit a particular document at a time. The acquisition may be seen as a move by Adobe to shore up its position in the midst of growing interest in online applications such as Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

Adobe's plans include extending support for PDF output, and then to integrate Buzzword with future releases of Acrobat Connect, Create Adobe PDF Online, and Adobe Document Center. Support for other file formats including ODF is also planned.

"For over a decade, Adobe Acrobat software and PDF have been the standard way people share and collaborate on high value documents across platforms, with perfect fidelity. Buzzword will build on that leadership and enable fundamental improvements in how people collaborate on documents," said David Mendels, senior vice president of Adobe's business productivity business unit.

"At the same time, it is an exciting showcase of the power of Adobe's RIA technology that raises the bar for the quality of experience people should expect in their applications."

Virtual Ubiquity's eleven staff will join Adobe.

Adobe had previously invested in Virtual Ubiquity. The parties did not reveal financial details of the acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of November 2007.

In related news, Adobe has announced a preview of its free document sharing service codenamed "Share ". Access to specific documents can be restricted to particular users.

The Share APIs let developers create mash-ups with other applications, including storing and accessing files, and creating thumbnails and Flash-based previews of documents.