Rich Internet Applications and the software renaissance

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Desktop Internet Applications vs. Rich Internet Applications (DIAs vs RIAs)

Nearly all the people in the Web business is talking about Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) or Rich Web Applications (if we follow W3C Rich Web Client proposal http://www.w3.org/2006/rwc/) or even "X Internet".

We have been working for a long time developing (and now modelling) RIAs, using proprietary and non-proprietary Flash plug-in based technologies (ASWing, Red5, Flash communication Server that is now Flash Media Server, Openlaszlo...).

Today we are watching new Web-related technologies arising (Apollo, Yahoo Widgets,...), but from my point of view they are not RIAs, they are hybrid applications (RIA and Desktop). I call them "Desktop Internet Applications" (DIAs), because Webtop sometimes confuse people with a laszlosystems recent proposal. DIAs technologies are hybrid and provide additional capacities derived from Desktop applications (e.g. file access...) but also some disadvantages:

I am know testing Apollo, and my Windows Vista Control Panel is full of Apollo demo applications that I will not use any more (so I will spend my time uninstalling nearly twenty of these applications).

This is one of the main differences between DIAs and RIAs from my point of view.
RIAs by definition avoid any kind of installation (the same as Traditional Web Apllications, see J.Duhl or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Internet_application).
"RIAs typically:
* run in a web browser, or do not require software installation
* run locally in a secure environment called a sandbox
* can be "occasionally connected"...."

Macromedia (Adobe) sold us RIA with this features that, from my point of view are valid today.


I think there is enough Web/Desktop business for both DIA and RIA technologies and we will attend to emerging standards form W3C or whatwg (http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/) that maybe will make the rules in the future with the new Firefox 3 capabilities available soon.

Posted by: mlinaje@...   Posted on: 03/27/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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