As Macromedia's annual developer conference, MAX 2004, got underway in New Orleans yesterday, the company took the opportunity to stress how important great Web experiences are to users in forming opinions about Web sites. Macromedia also previewed several innovations that are under consideration for ColdFusion and its Flash Player.

Rob Burgess, chairman and CEO of Macromedia, addressed those present, stressing Macromedia's devotion and desire to work alongside developers and customers in creating products.

"Macromedia is excited to roll up its sleeves alongside our developers and customers," Burgess said, "as we continue to work together to improve the user experience. From showing new products and technologies to delivering new solutions and developer programs, MAX is really about getting early feedback from some of our most passionate users."

Some expected previews include a demonstration of "Blackstone," ColdFusion's next release. Macromedia said it will exhibit some of the new version's capabilities.

Unbeknownst to many, Macromedia did just that, by offering the conference itinerary over mobile devices. This is a preview of an SMS application powered by new event gateway powers that may be introduced for ColdFusion's next release.

The next generation Macromedia Flash Player "Maelstrom," is also to be previewed. Macromedia wants to gauge how attendees react to some of the innovations tentatively planned for "Maelstrom."

Attendees will get a look at major advances in the player's expressiveness and media abilities. Demonstrations will highlight stunning new graphical effects, improved video and text handling, and dramatically improved performance. Attendees will also see demonstrations of rich forms that improve the effectiveness of Web data collection and the ability to create printable reports in PDF and Flash formats.

At Monday's Mobile Day at MAX, the company launched a new developer program as part of an initiative designed to get mobile services built with Flash to a global audience. As part of this effort, Macromedia has made a new mobile developer center which delivers tools, resources, and support. It is being provided at the company's Web site, http://www.macromedia.com/go/mobiledev.