Well, it’s official, Adobe bought Macromedia. I had heard rumors about it but now that it’s come to light – and it all makes some sense – I find it sad that competition is again being erased. There are many, many good, small design software shops out there but none of them will have the baby teeth to take on a behemoth like this new company.
So what? Adobe has done a good job of providing quality software over the past three years.
What does the design software community really need?
Here’s my wishlist:

• A stronger commitment to Web standards and Web standardization which would include promotion of accesssibility, good coding, and good usability.
• The ability to better customize software. Mozilla is of course leading the way with themes, extensions, and plug-ins. Photoshop and Dreamweaver have had extensibility for years but the barrier of entry is pretty of high.
• Less bloat. Software should have fewer bells and whistles when installed and the possibility of turning them on and off as needed.