the new guttenberg

7/31/2019 The New Guttenberg

1/11

TheNewGutenberg

AdobeSystemsCEOJohnWarnoc launchedades toppublishingrevolutionthatarguablyrivalstheinfluenceofGutenberg'sfirstprintingpressmorethan500yearsago.AlthoughWarnoc 'sfutureisfocusedonInternetpublishing,hislegacyisgroundedintheancienthistoryofprinting.

"Theartofprintingsecuresusagainsttheretrogradationofreasonandinformation."

ThomasJefferson,1811JohnWarnoc ,theco-founderandvisionaryofAdobeSystemsinSanJose,isbyallaccountsaquiet,unassumingman.FewwhofirstmeetWarnoc wouldguessthatthisformermathematiciantoppledtheentrenchedprintmediaindustrybyunleashingades toppublishingrevolution.

Inmanyways,Warnoc 'saccomplishmentparallelsthetoweringachievementofJohannesGutenberg,whoinventedthefirstprintingpresswithmovabletypeinthemid-15thcentury.Priortothattime,scribeswerehiredtohand-copyeachnew

boo ,linebyline.

"Bac then,theboo wasnotatoolofcommunication,butarepositoryofinformationandveryexpensivestuff,"Warnoc said."Boo susedtobeonlyfortheclergyorthevery,veryrich."

Gutenberg'sinventioninhishometownofMainz,Germanyforeveralteredhistorybyopeningupthestorehouseof nowledgeinboo stothemasses,therebyreducingtheinformationstrangleholdenjoyedbyasmallcircleofscholarsandpriests.Forthisreason,theArchbishopofNassaudecidedthatprintingwasnotinthebestinterestsoftheCatholicChurchandordered

hissoldierstosac Mainzin1462.TheArchbishop'splanbac fired,however,aslocalprintersfledthecityandspreadthetechnologyofprintingthroughoutEurope.

Afterperfectingthemethodofmovabletype,Gutenbergusedhispresstorunoffsome200copiesoftheBibleonparchment.Today,alloftheremainingGutenbergBiblesaresafelypreservedininstitutions.Thelastonetobeauctionedofffetched$5millionin1982,butWarnoc estimatedthattheoriginalsareworthcloserto$50millioneachtoday.

"Thisstartedthewholeprocessofusingtheprintedwordasacommunicationtool,"hecommented."It

wasthestartoftheEnlightenment."

WhereasGutenberg'spressgreatlyexpandedliteracy,Warnoc 'ssoftwareallowsanyonewithahomecomputertoproducehigh-qualitypublications,eliminatingtheneedforexpensiveprintingpressesandpublishinghouses.

"ThesuccessofAdobeisdueinlargeparttoourdeeprespectforthepast,forthegraphicartstraditionoverthepast500years,"Warnoc explained."Ifwelose


2/11

sightofthatandonlyfocusonthecomputer,we'lllosealotofthehistoryandbeautyinourpublishingpast."

Warnoc co-foundedAdobeSystemswithCharles"Chuc "Gesch ein1982.Theduodevelopedaseriesofbest-sellingsoftwareproductsforthecreationoftexts,graphicsandelectronicdocuments.Insodoing,theyturnedAdobeintothepublishingsoftwareindustryleader.Today,Adobe'ssignatureproductsincludePhotoshop,Illustrator,GoLive,Premiere,PostScript,Pagema er,InDesign,LiveMotionandAcrobat.

Warnoc 'sinnovativeleadershipearnedhimaninductionintotheComputerIndustryHallofFamein1998.Inaddition,GraphicExchangemagazineran edWarnoc andGesch eastheseventhmostinfluentialfiguresingraphicshistoryoverthelastmillennium.

AdobeisnowthethirdlargestPCsoftwarecompanyintheU.S.,withannualrevenuesinexcessof$1billionandmorethan2,800employeesworldwide.Thecompanyishighlyregardedforitsfocusonemployees.InApril,Adobewasnamedoneofthe"Top10CompaniestoWor For"byInter@ctiveWee magazine,andFortunemagazineran edAdobe42ndthis

yearinitslistof"The100BestCompaniestoWor forinAmerica."Inaddition,AdobehasbeenrecognizedbyPresidentBillClintonforitsongoingeffortstopromotediversityinthewor place.

Warnoc creditedemployeerelationsforplayingacriticalroleinthecompany'soverallpatternofsuccess.

"OuremployeesarewhatAdobeisallabout.Theyareourgreatestasset,"hesaid."Wegotoextraordinarylengthstoretainthem.Competitivecompensationispartofit,butthisalsoinvolvesmutualrespectandvaluingthemandtheirlivesaspeopleoutsideofwor .We'venever

beenbigonburningpeopleout.We'vealwaysbeenbigonhomelife.Wehavetriedtorunthecompanyextremelyethically,bothwithemployeesandcustomers."

CraigClineisvicepresidentofcontentforSeyboldSeminars,whichhoststheworld'slargestandmostprestigiouseventsforthedigitalpublishingindustry,withannualgatheringsinBostonandSanFrancisco.ClinesaidhehaslongadmiredWarnoc 'sapproach.

"I've nownJohnsinceIjoinedSeyboldin1987.He'salwaysbeenapremierparticipantinoureventsintheindustry.Heisamongthedrivingforcesingetting

des toppublishingofftheground,"Clinesaid."Throughitall,Johnhasbeenaguidinglightandaconstantinthepublishinguniverse.Hehasbeenoneoftheseminalfiguresinthepublishingindustry,writlargebythewonderfuldemocratizingeffectofdes toppublishing."

FOMENTINGAREVOLUTION

Thestoryofthedes toppublishingrevolutionbeginsinthelate-1970satthefabledXeroxPaloAltoResearchCenter


3/11

(PARC),whereGesch ewasmanageroftheimagingandscienceslabandWarnoc wasaprincipalscientistwhoassistedindevelopingstandardsforgraphicsimaging.

Warnoc andGesch ewereamongthemanybrilliantscientistswhotransformedtheXeroxresearchfacilityintoalegendarySiliconValleyhotbedofinnovation.Thegroundbrea ingwor atXeroxPARCledtonumerouscriticaldevelopmentsforcomputingandpublishing,includingtheinventionofthemouse,Ethernetnetwor ing,andthecomputerserver.Allresearchersatthefacilitywerepluggedintonetwor edPCswithelectronicprintersatatimewhentherestofthenationwasstilldancingtodiscomusic.

"AtPARC,welivedintheofficeofthefuture,withe-mail,in1978,"Warnoc recalled.

DuringhisstintatPARC,Warnoc inventedadevice-independentprintingtechnologywhichbecame nownasPostScript.Simultaneously,XeroxPARCintroducedthefirstgraphicaluserinterface(GUI)withwindowsandcollapsiblemenus,allowingnon-programmerstoeasilynavigatethroughelectronictas swithoutrelyingoncomplexcomputerlanguages.

Appleco-founderSteveJobswasthefirsttorecognizetheenormousmar etpotentialofthegraphicaluserinterfacewhenheglimpsedtheAltocomputerprototypeatXeroxPARC.Ofcourse,JobswentontosuccessfullycommercializetheGUIconceptwiththelaunchoftheMacintoshin1984.

Twoyearsearlier,Warnoc andGesch eleftXeroxPARCtofoundAdobe.Muchli eJobswithhisMac,they newthattheiropenpagelanguagehadtremendouscommercialpotential,sotheydecidedtomanufactureandmar etit.

Warnoc approachedJobsin1983regardingapartnershipbetweentheirfledglingcompanies.JobsconvincedtheAppleboard

tobuy19percentofAdobetosupportthenewopenarchitectureprinttechnology,whichallowedprinterstointerfacewithcomputers.Apple'sinvestmentinAdobeledtothereleaseofPostScript,thecenterpieceofdes toppublishing,in1985.PostScriptisnowregardedastheworldwidestandardforreliable,high-qualityprinting.

"TheideabehindPostScriptwastopresentaprotocolorlanguagefordescribinghowyouwantthepageprintedinsuchawaythatitwouldn'tforceyoutodecideeverydetail,suchasthesizeandnumberofpixels,ortheshadingsofcolor,"Gesch eexplained."Itprovidedaveryuniform,high-levelapplicationthatallowedthelayoutof

pagesindependentoftheprintingdevice."

Previously,proprietaryvendorssolduniquelayouttools,souserswereloc edintoexpensivesetupsforthelivesoftheirsystems.Forthefirsttime,PostScriptgavegraphicdesignersanopportunitytobuyvariouscomponentsfortheirprintingneedsfromdifferentvendors.Atthetime,thisopensourceapproachwasanovelconceptinthepublishingindustry.

"EverytimewebroughtoutastandardforPostScript


4/11

orgraphicsfortheWeb,wealwayspublishedthespecifications,"Gesch esaid.

Despitetheseremar ableadvances,ClinesaidmostpeopleinthepublishingindustrystillregardedPCsandMacsastoys.

"TheyweretoysuntilAdobeandApplecollaboratedtocreatetheLaserwriterwithAdobePostScriptfontsbuiltintoit.Thiswasthefirstalternativetothemillion-dollarsystemsoutthere,"Clinesaid.Hecalledthiscollaborativebrea through"theproverbialacorninthecrac ofthesidewal ."

"Theacorngrowsintoasmallsaplingthatcangetstomped,orifoverloo ed,itcangrowintoabigtree,"hesaid."Previously,mostpeoplecouldn'tgointopublishingbecausethebarriertoentrywastoohigh.Thisnewdevelopmentwasahuge,democratizing,levelingtypeofchange.Withtheseapplications,anyonecouldpublishfor$10,000."

TheMac'sgraphicaluserinterfacegreatlysimplifiedcomputing,anditscombinationwithAdobePostScriptandPostScriptapplicationsturnedthedes topcomputerintoapotentyet

affordablegraphicswor station.Withinadecade,PostScripthadoverturnedconventionaldesign,typesettingandpre-pressprocesses.

Warnoc citedfourmajordevelopmentsthatledtothesuccessofdes toppublishing.TheyincludedthegraphicalinterfaceoftheAppleMacintosh,thedevelopmentofAdobe'sPostScript,theintroductionofthefirstlow-costlaserprinterbyCanon,andPaulBrainerd's1985inventionofAldusPageMa er,thefirstdes toppagelayoutprogram.Withthesetools,virtuallyanyonecouldpublishfliers,newsletters,magazinesoranyother indofdocuments,therebyrelegatingalltheold-fashionedprintingpressesthatweredescendedfromGutenbergtothe

dustbinofhistory.

"Thethreeofusstartedtoseedes toppublishingopportunities,"Warnoc saidofJobsandBrainerd."Allofthiscametogetheranditwasthebeginningoftheendfortheoldwayofdoingthings."

THELOVEOFBOOKS

TheoldwayofdoingthingswasperhapsbestexemplifiedbyAldusManutius,fromwhomBrainerd'scompanytoo itsname.ManutiusfollowedGutenbergasthenextgreatfigureinpublishinghistory,settinguptheAldinePressinVenice

toproduceanextensiveseriesofGree classicsinthe1490s.Manutiusthenbecamefamousfortheinventionofitalictype,whichwentintoextensiveuseintheearly1500s.

Mostimportantly,Manutiusinventedportableboo s,therebyencouragingthepracticeofreadingamongwor ingpeople.Previously,allboo swerelarge,cumbersomevolumesboundbyheavywoodenandironcovers--notexactlytrashybeachreading.By1516,though,smallerhandheldboo swererollingoffthepresses.


5/11

"Theniftythingaboutthiswasnowboo swereportable,"Warnoc enthused."NowinformationstartedtomovethroughoutEurope.Forthefirsttime,informationwasaccessibletothecommonman.Thepricecamedown,soliteracystartedtohappen."

Inadditiontoempoweringcommoners,theprintingpressgreatlyacceleratedtheprogressofscienceandtechnology.

"Newideasstartedtopropagate.NewtonwouldreadGalileoandtheywouldbothreadCopernicus.Scientificinformationwasexchanged,"Warnoc said."Greatthingsstartedtohappenwithboo s.Itiswonderfultoseehowthesedevelopmentsspread.Theseboo swerenotonlygreatartifactsandtestimoniesofdiscovery,butalsomoreofawindowontheworld."

Warnoc 'sinterestinthehistoryofpublishingandtypographyincreasedduringatriptoLondonwithhiswifeMarvaandsonChristopher.ThatjourneyresultedinWarnoc 'sself-describedobsessionwithboo collecting.

"MywifeandfamilyandIwereinLondonin1987foranantiquefairwhenwecameacrossMag'sBoo storein

theBer eleySquarearea,"Warnoc recalled."MysonfoundacopyofEuclid'sElements,thefirstEnglishprinting,from1570.Ithadthesewonderfulgeometricfiguresandpop-upstodemonstratethegeometry.IflinchedwhenIloo edattheprice,butAdobehadjustgonepublicsoMarvasaid,`Goahead,buyit.'"

ThatinitialpurchaseledtoWarnoc 'spreoccupationwithrareboo collecting,whichhedefinedas"abonafidedisease."

"IwasquitehappywiththeEuclidedition,butthenyougethomeandputitinyourboo case,"hesaid,pausing

andsmilingforthepunchline."Whenitistheonlyoneofits indontheshelffromthe1570s,youloo upandsay,`You now,theboo needsfriends.'"

AndsoWarnoc becamehoo ed.Hesoondiscoveredthatallindsofancientboo sareavailableforsalethroughexclusiveauctionhouses.

"YoureallycanbuythefirsteditionofNewtonorGalileo,"hesaid."Theyarerare,buttheyareonthemar et.I'vebeendealingwithdealersforthelast15years.Mycollectionincludesboo sthatchangedtheworld."

Warnoc 'samazinglibraryfeaturestitlesfromsomeofthegreatestthin ersinWesterncivilization--Newton,Copernicus,Kepler,Machiavelli,Hume,Ber eley,Kant,Descartes,Sha espeare,BenFran lin,ThomasJeffersonandJamesMadison.Someoftheboo sarewritteninGermanorLatin,whichWarnoc cannotread,buthesaidhebuysanEnglishtranslationofeachonesothathecanunderstandthecontents.Duetohisloveofboo s,Warnoc foundedOctavoCorporationinPaloAltoin1997.OctavocreatesCD-ROMstoshoweverypageofrareboo sandmanuscriptsinadigitalformat.


6/11

Duringhiscareer,Warnoc becameincreasinglyinterestedinthelonghistoryoftypographyandgraphicdesign.Infact,hiswifeMarvaisagraphicdesignerwhosewor helpedWarnoc toshapesuchleadinggraphicsprogramsasAdobeIllustrator.

"Ireallyappreciatetypography,"Warnoc said."I'mnotjustcomingatitfromapurelytechnicalpointofview,asIappreciatethehistoryoftheart."

Asiftodemonstratehiscommitmenttohistory,Warnoc showedoffhisstunningcopyofSummaTheologicabySt.ThomasAquinas,from1468.

"It'snotfragile,"Warnoc saidinanunderstatement,holdinguptheheftytomeboundinsolidwoodencovers,completewithmetalclaspsandanironchain."Youcanactuallyfeelthetextureofthetypefromprinting.Youdon'tputthisboo inyourpoc etorta eittobedatnight,butyoudochainittothelibrarywall."

TheWarnoc collectionalsoincludesthefirsteditionoftheEncyclopaediaBritannica,inthreevolumes.ThefirstvolumeonlycoveredthelettersAandB,whiletheothertwo

volumesfeaturedtermsfromtherestofthealphabet.Warnoc guessedthattheencyclopaedia'soriginaleditorsonlyrealizedthescopeoftheirunderta ingafterthefirstvolume,andthereforedecidedtominimizetheprojectoverthenexttwovolumes.

PerhapsWarnoc 'smostpreciousholdingisthefirstbroadsheeteditionoftheBillofRights,whichwasprintedinMaryland.Warnoc obtaineditfromadealerinBaltimorewhospentthreemonthsresearchingthelegitimacyofthedocument.OnlysevensurvivingcopiesoftheBillofRightsare nowntoexist,andallarepreservedininstitutionsexceptforthetreasureownedbyWarnoc .

BUILDINGANADOBEHOME

Thecompanyname,AdobeSystems,wasnotderivedfromclaybric dwellingsoftheSouthwest,butratherfromAdobeCree ,whichwindsbehindWarnoc andGesch e'shousesinLosAltos,wheretheyhavelivedasneighborsfornearlythreedecades.Warnoc andGesch esoughtoutvariousothernamesforthecompany,butallwereta ensotheysettledonAdobe.

Gesch ehasastrongpersonalbac groundintheprintingfield,ashisfatherandgrandfatherwerebothletter-pressphotoengravers.

"Growingup,Inever newmyfatherwithoutin onhishands,"Gesch erecalled.

Now60,Gesch eretiredasAdobe'spresidentinMarch,buthestillsharesco-chairmanstatuswithCEOWarnoc ,whoisslightlyyoungerat59.Gesch edescribedtheirlengthyprofessionalrelationshipas"acompletepartnership,"andalthoughWarnoc isoftenperceivedasthetechnicalvisionaryandGesch eastheoperationsboss,theyactuallysharedboth


7/11

responsibilitiesovertheyears.

"Oneofthereasonsforoursuccesswasthatwecouldbe100percentsubstitutesforeachother,"Gesch esaid."It'sneathavingsuchstrongmutualrespectforoneanother.Weusuallyagree.Ofcoursewe'vehaddifferentpointsofviewsometimes,butwe'veneverhadamajorfalling-out.We'vemaintainedastrongfriendshipthroughalltheseyears."

Gesch eandhiswifeNanremainclosefriendswithWarnoc andhiswifeMarva.Whenas edhowthetwoAdobechieftainsdealwiththeirenormoussuccess,Gesch esaid,"We'remarriedtowiveswho eepushumble."

Unfortunately,thefourfriendsunderwentaterrifyingordealinhumilityin1992,whenGesch ewasliterally idnappedatgunpointforfivedays.

Uponreceivingthenews,NanGesch eandtheWarnoc sdiscussedtheiroptions.Despiteapprehensionsaboutdeaththreats,theyapproachedlawenforcementauthoritiesforhelp.AnFBIbehavioralpsychologistcoachedGesch e'sdaughtertodropoffa napsac filledwith$650,000inransommoneyon

thebeachnearFortOrdatmidnight.

FBIagentssoonrescuedGesch efromhiscaptor'scloset,andalthoughhewasphysicallyunharmed,hesaidhesufferedgreatmentalandemotionalanguishfromtheincident.Theculprits,a26-year-oldSyriannamedMouhannadAlbu hari,anda24-year-oldJordaniannamedAhmadMohammadSayeh,werecapturedandconvictedfor idnapping,robberyandma ingterroristthreats.

"MywifecalledJohn,whomadeadecisionurgingmywifetogototheFBIwhenIwas idnapped,eventhoughdeaththreatshadbeenmadeagainstmyfamily,"Gesch esaid.

"Ineverwanttohavetoreturnthatfavor,butifforcedto,Iwouldcertainlydoso."

Despitethatterribleincident,Gesch eremainsupbeataboutAdobe'ssuccessandhisyearsofdevotiontothedes toppublishingindustry.

"ThewonderfulgiftthatAdobegavetoJohnandIwastheabilitytohaveanimpactontheworld.Veryfewpeopleintheirwor ingliveshavethatopportunity,"hecommented."Youalmostcan'tpic upapieceofvisualcommunicationwithoutourtechnologyinit,beitnewspapers,magazines,movies,ads,pac aging,commercialsorcatalogs.That's

prettyamazing."

Warnoc saidthatwhenhewasgrowingup,therewasonlytheSears,Roebuc andCompanycatalog.

"Now,you nowallthosecatalogsthatyougetdelugedwitheveryday?"hegrinned."Well,we'reresponsibleforthat."

Indeed,theallianceofthebigthree"A"companies--Adobe,


8/11

AppleandAldus--resultedinanexplosionofprintedmaterialsincludingthemailcatalogcraze,forbetterorworse.

AldusfounderPaulBrainerdrecognizedthatpersonalcomputerswouldbefarmoreefficientindesigningpagesthanexpensiveprintingsystems.Hecoinedtheterm"des toppublishing"andsetouttoreplaceexpensiveproprietarylayoutsystems.AfterbuildingAldusintoa$250millionperyearsoftwarema er,BrainerdsoldthecompanytoAdobein1994.

Meanwhile,TimGill,theinventorofDes topColorSeparations(DCS),createdQuar XPressin1987.Thatprogramsoonovertoo PageMa erasthedefactostandardforpagelayoutprojects.Quar followedPageMa ertomar etbytwoyears,andWarnoc saidthatextrawindowoftimeallowedQuar 'sdeveloperstocreateabasicextensiblesetup,whichsimplifiedtheadditionofnewfeatures.

"EveryonefromchurchnewsletterstotheNewYor TimeswereusingQuar ,"Clinesaid."Adobetrac edthatwholerevolution."

NowAdobeisreadytobattlebac withanewpagelayoutapplication,InDesign,whichwasreleasedlastfall.Li e

Quar ,InDesigniscustomizableandWarnoc thin sitwillbe"aseriouscontender"asthetwoproductscompetehead-on.

Adobehasalongtrac recordasaleaderinallfacetsofdigitalpublishing.Illustrator,theindustrystandardforillustrationsoftware,wasfirstreleasedin1986.Thatsuccesswasfollowedin1989,whenAdobeacquiredPhotoShop,thepreeminentsoftwareforimageediting.

TheintroductionofFrameMa erin1998addedahigh-endtechnicaldocumentationtoolthatallowsuserstopublishlengthy,content-richdocumentsacrossvariouscomputerplatforms.Alsoin1998,

AdobeacquiredGoLive,aWebauthoringprogramthatprovidedthecompanywithitsfirstInternetplatform.

OtherwinningprogramsincludeAdobeTypeManager,whichorganizestypefaces,andAdobe'sPortableDocumentFormat(PDF), nownasAcrobat,whichisthesoftwarestandardforsharingcross-platformfiles.

Inrecentyears,Adobehaswor edtowardacompleteintegrationofalltheserelatedprogramstoma etheminteractseamlessly.Essentially,Warnoc andGesch ecreatedaone-stopsoftwareempirethatprovidestoolsforallaspectsofcontentcreation.Warnoc attributesmuchofAdobe'senduringleadership

tothiscomprehensiveintegrationstrategy.

"Weprovideproductstoservicemoreaspectsinthisspacethananybodyelse,"hesaid."Whenyouloo atallaspects--video,animation,film,print,CD-ROMs--we'reintegratingtheseproductssotheywor reallywellwitheachother.That'sreallythemajorsecretofoursuccess."

Inaddition,Warnoc saidthatbrandingandcustomerrelationshavealwaysgonehandinhand.


9/11

"We'reverycarefulnevertodiluteourbrand,"hesaid."Allalong,wepaidagreatdealofattentiontothereputationofourproductsandhowwetreatcustomers."

Forexample,Warnoc citedMicrosoftasafamousbrandnamethathasbeenseverelydilutedinrecentyears.

"Originally,Microsoftwasassociatedwithanoperatingsystem,thenPCsoftware,andnowit'sassociatedwithall indsofrandomstuff,"hesaid."Wedon'tstandforotherproducts,apartfromourcoremission."

THEINTERNETSURPRISE

TheInternetisthelatestmediuminthelonghistoryofpublishing,asitcombinesthetraditionalcomponentsofpagedesign,textandimagerywithnewertoolsincludingsound,animationandinteractivity.WhiletheNethitahomerunforconsumersandbusinesses,itwasagreatbigcurveballfordes toppublishingcompanies.

"TheInternetwasgoodnewsandbadnews,"Warnoc recalled.Thegoodnewswasthe1992launchofAcrobat,a

pioneeringAdobeproductforcollaborativedocumentsharing.Acrobatallowsdocumentsfromdifferentsourcestobeviewed,annotatedandprintedfromanycomputer.

"Atthetime,therewasnosuchthingasbroad-basedInternetusage.WhentheInternetexplodedin1994,everyonefiguredoutwhatAcrobatwasgoodfor,"Warnoc said."TheWebclearlyenabledthegrowthofdocumentinterchangeandAcrobat,whichbecameoneofourmajorproducts."

Thebadnews,obviously,wastheneedforthepublishingindustrytograpplewiththeuniquenatureofacompletelynewmedium.Warnoc said"every[Adobe]producthasbeen

movingclosertotheWeb"sincethen,inanattempttounifythecompany'sgraphicsofferings.

"Thequestionbecame,howdoyouma ethetransitionfromtraditionalpublishingandaccommodateallthedifferentmediatypes--documents,photos,sound,video,graphicsandanimation?"hesaid."Mostpeoplewanttoreusetheirassets,suchasstories,clipart,logos,filmsorvideos.Youdon'twanttoauthorforprintandthenseparatelyfortheWeb.Theplacewhereallofthatcomestogetherisatthecomponentorassetlevel,notattheuserlevel.That'swhereoursoftwarecomesin.Corporationsrealizethatalotofassets--photosandvideoclips--needonecommon

setoftools.That'swhereeverycorporateheadis."

AdobehasploweddeeperintotheWebfieldwithitsnewLiveMotionsoftware,whichwonthe"BestofShow"awardattheSpringInternetWorld2000conferenceinLosAngeles.LiveMotiongivesWebdevelopersaflexibletooltocreateinteractivegraphicsandanimationontheWeb.

"NobodyontheprofessionalpublishingsidehasgottenintoWebpublishingasaggressivelyasAdobe,"Gesch e


10/11

said."Macromediahasgotteninveryaggressively,butitisanInternetcompany."

Adobe'sLiveMotionnowcompetesdirectlywithMacromedia'sFlashtechnology,whichisusedtodevelophotWebsiteswiththeadditionofmoremotion,colorandsound.

Injustafewshortyears,itseemsthattheInternethasturnedeverythinginsideout,includingboo publishing.StephenKing'srecentbest-sellingnovella,RidingtheBullet,wassoldexclusivelyasane-boo usingtheAdobePDFformat.Thiseventsignaledthedawnofanewerainpublishing,aswriterscouldnotonlyself-publishboo s,butalsodistributethemovertheInternettoo.

Whensome400,000downloadsofKing'se-boo buriedAmazon,comonthefirstdayofsales,analystsforewarnedastartlingchangefortheeconomicsofboo publishing.Warnoc notedthatKingnolongerrequiredapublishertoreachhisaudience.HecouldjustaseasilyhavecutadealwithAmazonorYahoo,eliminatingtheprimaryintermediarybetweenauthorsandreaders--namely,publishers.

"Distributionmodelsarechangingverydramatically,"

Warnoc said."Everybodyistryingtodisintermediateeachother.We'llseewhereitends."

Warnoc predictedblurringrolesfornews,entertainmentandeducationastheInternet,televisionandvideobecomemoreintertwined.HoweverhestillviewstheWebasmoreofaninformationconduitthananentertainmenttool.

"WilltheInternet illprint?Notatall.It'snevergoingtohappen.WilltheInternet illTV?No,butitwillchangetheirroles.TheInternetisanewpublishingmediumthatisnotrehashingTVornewspapers.Itisanewmediumwithanewauthoringcomponent,"hesaid."TV

camealong,butradiodidn'tgoaway.Radiocamealong,butnewspapersdidn'tgoaway.TheInternetcamealong,butpublishingwillnotgoaway."

Atthesametime,Warnoc recognizedthatmostpeopleintheInternetAgedonotrelyonthedailynewspaperfortheirstoc quotesanymore.Hereasonedthatconsumerswillcontinuetodependonnewspapersandmagazinesforin-depthcoverageandanalysis,butthey'llgotoCNNoraWebsitetopic upthelatestbrea ingnews.

"Theexplosionofprintingoverthelast20yearshasresultedinthedemocratizationofpublishing,"Warnoc

observed."Peoplebegantorealize,wecanstartourownmagazine.NowtheInternetistheultimatedemocratizerofinformation.Youcangetwhateveryouwant."

TheInternetphenomenonhasresultedinothertangiblebenefitsforAdobe,apartfromcreatingmar etsforcompletelynewsoftwareproducts.Li eanygoodappliance,theNethassucceededinstreamliningawiderangeofhumantas s.

"Withinourcompany,weprettymuchrunpaperless,with


11/11

250,000e-mailsperday,"Warnoc said."Wedon'tFedExdocuments,wedon'tfilloutforms.Allofthismadeusfarmoreefficient.Theboominoureconomyisnotamysticalboom.Itisaflat-outproductivityboom."

Warnoc remainsoptimisticabouttheWeb'spotentialtocross-pollinateexistingcommunicationsplatforms.Forinstance,hepredictedthattheInternetsoonwillallowvideoclipsandsoundstobemixedintoboo s,muchli eaDJsamplingfromoldrecords.

"It'snothardtoputamovieoranimationorsoundintoanelectronicboo .We'llseenewmediaexpressionsthatwillexistintheetherofthevirtualworld.We'realreadygoingthroughanewEnlightenment,"hesaid."TheInternethasobviouslyshownusthere'sawholenewwaytonavigateinformation.Youcandomassivesearchesacrosstonsandtonsofinformation.Boo sneverallowedthat."

Aftersomanyyearsofbalancingcutting-edgetechnologywithadeeprespectforhistory,Warnoc isextremelyproudofAdobeanditsrightfulplaceintheannalsofpublishing.

"Ithin there'sabigcomponentofpublishing

thathaschangedbecauseofAdobe,"hesaid."Nearlyeverysinglecatalog,newspaper,magazine,TVprogram,advertisement,movieandWebsitethatyouseehasapieceofAdobetechnologyinit.Ibelievewehavebeeninstrumentalinchangingtheworldofcommunications.Whatcouldbeagreaterlegacythanthat?"

Lin s:www.adobe.com,www.octavo.com

the new guttenberg

Documents