Adobe Systems is offering free Flex Builder 3 licenses to unemployed developers.

Adobe officials said the company is providing free trial Adobe Flex Builder 3 licenses as part of a "getting started" package that will allow unemployed developers to expand their skills and learn how to build Web applications in Flex. The package also includes access to training and information about developer events, and connects developers to resources within the community to help people find jobs.

Adobe describes Flex as a free open-source framework "for building and maintaining expressive Web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems." Although Flex applications can be built using only the free Flex SDK (Software Development Kit), the Adobe Flex Builder 3 software can be used to accelerate the development process. Typical pricing for Flex Builder 3 starts at $249 for the Standard version and $699 for the Professional version. The Adobe offer to unemployed developers is for the Professional version.

An Adobe spokesperson said for the last two years, Adobe has heard from companies that use Adobe Flex Builder to create Web applications that the demand for Flex developers is high and outweighs the current supply. In addition, Adobe has noticed an increase in the number of developers who were first-time attendees at Flex user groups and events, the spokesperson said. These developers said they were interested in learning about Flex because they had recently lost jobs at companies that used other development technologies such as Java or .NET.

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