"The lingering question is whether online tools will be of a high enough caliber to produce marketable content. So far, signs are pointing to yes..."

"I'm normally very conservative about new sites/services/applications based on the Web 2.0 cool-aid but I think there might be something to this... It really is that mapping of creative tools and marketing that makes this stand out.

Will this attract the already employed graphics artist? Unlikely. But this will open up a nice niche market for the skilled but new and/or underemployed or freelance graphics artist AND the small/medium business or personal site owner who doesn't have a lot of bucks looking for some graphics to incorporate into their site (without worries of being sued for "theft"), or music to embed into their podcast or YouTube video... Whether it ends up becoming successful or not, at a minimum, it is innovative.

"While there is no shortage of online image editors on the web today, this is certainly the first project (that I'm aware of) that will bring such a full suite of functionality to content creation. Indeed, it's hard not to compare the project to Adobe's Master Collection. Will creative professionals be inclined to switch from desktop tools to their online counterparts? Will they have to switch to take advantage of the marketplace? According to the TechCrunch article, the tools are all created using Flex - which means that there's also the potential that Aviary could create desktop versions of the tools using Adobe AIR. This is definitely a project I'll be following. Stay tuned!"

"This would be a great AIR story and already sounds like a great Flex story. Some of the commentary focuses on Adobe being in trouble because of all these free, browser-based tools that are coming out. But I actually think these tools and our software is complimentary. We cater to a professional crowd that needs the features, capability, and speed of a desktop application. The consumer/hobbyist market however could really use something like this that is easy to use and a bit lower level."

"Sounds too good, and too robust, to be true, yes? But all signs so far point to a polished set of apps, not least of which is a sample 3D rendering they posted to their blog today.

I am crossing my fingers and hoping that Aviary is one of those rare examples of a fresh idea totally changing the software landscape - in this case, developing web applications with extremely narrow functionality to eliminate bloat, streamline uptake, and provide a service in a way people didn't know they needed until they found it, and later will not be able to imagine doing without. Time will tell."

"The project is quite a big one and a hard one to achieve. Also how do you trully replace photoshop or gimp by a flex application? As a flex developer myself, I am quite puzzled about the end result. However, the few samples presented on the site look quite professional and now we just have to wait"

"This is potentially huge...By creating a guarantee of authorship, Aviary could become a very powerful marketplace for work. It would protect end-buyers from copyright violation lawsuits from inadvertently using pirated work. Multimedia creators would have a strong incentive to use the tools to protect their work from being stolen. It's a win for everyone involved."