RIA WAR BEGINS

On the Web Today a War to decide how Web applications and content will be developed and how users will consume the content of the future Web. The browser war’s are gone, its about RIA(Rich Internet Application) , a type of webapplication that can run independently of browsers, and can run on any O.S and works similiar to deskop systems.
Some Developement Frameworks for creating RIA Applications are
1. Adobe Flex
2. Adobe AIR
3. Microsoft SilverLight
4. Mozilla Prism
5. Curl
6. Apple’s Sprout core
7. Eclipse RIA plugins(UltraLightClient)
8. Open Laszlo
9. XBAP

Adobe Flex:


Adobe Flex is a cross-platform developement framework for creating rich internet applications(RIAs). It is a highly productive framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops and operating systems.
It provides a modern, standards-based language and programming model that supports common design patterns. MXML, a declarative XML-based language, is used to describe UI layout and behaviors, and ActionScrip 3.0, a powerful object-oriented programming language, is used to create client logic. Flex also includes a rich component library with more than 100 proven, extensible UI components for creating rich Internet applications (RIAs), as well as an interactive Flex application debugger.

Adobe AIR:

Adobe AIR is a cross-platform runtime environment for building rich Internet applications using Adobe Flash, Adobe Flex, HTML, or Ajax, that can be deployed as a desktop application. AIR applications can operate offline, and then activate further functionality or upload data when an active Internet connection becomes available
Adobe AIR uses the same proven, cost-effective technologies used to build web applications, so development and deployment is rapid and low risk. You can use your existing web development resources to create engaging, branded applications that run on all major desktop operating systems.

Microsoft SilverLight:


Microsoft released Silverlight 1.0 in 2007.Silverlight works on multiple Web browsers, including Firefox and Safari, and ran on both Windows and Mac OS X. Silverlight's browser and operating system support is impressive, as an RIA platform, its scope is much more modest. Silverlight proved to be a fairly basic and even old-school approach to building and using RIAs. Silverlight can't be considered a direct competitor to more advanced RIA platforms such as Adobe AIR. Silverlight is more of a direct competitor to Flash.
Silverlight is designed to run within browsers and has mainly been focused on Web-based animations and interactivity, long the forte of Flash.Silverlight 2.0 beta, the Microsoft RIA platform is moving beyond its initial focus on animation and interactivity. With the new release, more data awareness has been added to the Silverlight framework, making it possible to build more business-friendly applications.
Future plans for Silverlight include support for offline applications. Right now, however, Silverlight is an interesting but fairly basic version of Flash that doesn't match up to more advanced RIA systems such as AIR.


Mozilla Prism:


Prism is a simple but powerful program that makes it possible to take any existing Web application and turn it into a stand-alone application
We can convert any web application to a desktop application that would run outside of a standard browser window. It removes all the unnecessary browser controls and allows to focus on the application itself.
Prism isn't actually removing the browser from the equation. In fact, Prism is essentially a stripped-down version of the Firefox 3 browser.
But this simple approach to RIA development and use may prove to be one of the most attractive for many developers. The biggest benefit is that there is no need to learn any new development techniques. Simply develop Web application for any browser, and then deliver it through Prism. Prism is the only RIA platform that will be immediately usable by Web users without any development skills.
Prism is still under the Mozilla Labs umbrella, meaning it is in many ways considered experimental. But that hasn't stopped Prism from being used by some high-profile applications, including the recently released desktop client for the Zimbra mail platform.


Curl:

Curl has a more specific focus--helping businesses and developers actually get work done through RIAs.Curl is a complete and finished product, and it shows in Curl's capabilities and feature set. Using Curl, easily build and deploy business-focused RIAs that integrated well with business data systems and applications.
The latest version of Curl, 6.0, which shipped late in 2007, has added beta support for running Curl applications on Mac OS X. (Curl already supports Windows and Linux.) The Curl organization also released several open-source projects for building Curl applications and integrating them with Web services. The basic Curl tools are free, and the professional tools for business use and deployment start at $12,000.
The main tool for creating Curl applications is the Curl IDE (integrated development environment), and I found it a very good, straightforward tool for creating RIAs.
Curl applications tend to work well in business and enterprise situations, as they have excellent data-handling capabilities and good information presentation features. Curl isn't as focused on animation and graphics as some other RIA platforms are, it does do a good job when it comes to data analysis and reporting graphics.
It has a well-established base of users and support, and can quickly find information and help in the developer areas of the Curl Web site.


Apple’s Sprout Core:


SproutCore is Apple's official JavaScript framework of choice for developing Rich Internet Applications. SproutCore is a JavaScript framework, being modeled after Apple's Cocca development environment. SproutCore code executes completely within a browser although Apple has already needed to hitch the SquirrelFish JavaScript Interpreter to its Safari browser to boost performance.
Many of the popular RIA effects, for example animation, require a considerable amount of graphics horsepower ,typically more than can be provided by a simple browser-JavaScript combination. Apple is late in the race , the front runners are Adobe and following by Microsoft.


Eclipse RIA plugins (UltraLightClient):


Canoo has released a new plug-in for Eclipse 3.0 that simplifies Rich Internet Application (RIA) development with the UltraLightClient (ULC) Java library. The new plug-in provides a tight ULC integration into the Eclipse IDE, enabling developers to deliver pure Java-based RIAs with unprecedented efficiency.
UltraLightClient is a library to build Rich Internet Applications (RIA) in Java. Offering a server-side programming and execution model, it is the ideal complement for the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP). With this standard Java library, developers will be very effective in providing rich, responsive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for enterprise web applications within J2EE and J2SE infrastructures. UltraLightClient builds on available developer know-how by following the Swing API, yet shields the developer from the complexities of client/server code distribution by taking care of the code split and by optimizing communication. Application releases are deployed on the server only. The user interface is handled by an application-independent Java presentation engine distributed as an applet to a browser, to Eclipse RCP, or via Java Web Start.

Open Laszlo:


OpenLaszlo is an open source platform for the development and delivery of rich Internet applications. The OpenLaszlo platform consists of the LZX programming language and the OpenLaszlo Server.
LZX programming language is an XML and JavaScript description language. LZX enables a declarative, text-based development process that supports rapid prototyping and software development best practices. It is designed to be familiar to traditional web application developers who are familiar with HTML and Javascript.
OpenLaszlo Server is a Java servlet that compiles LZX applications into executable binaries for targeted run-time environments.
Laszlo applications can be deployed as traditional Java servlets, which are compiled and returned to the browser dynamically. This method requires that the web server be running the OpenLaszlo server. Laszlo applications can be compiled from LZX into a binary SWF file, and loaded statically into an existing web page. This method is known as SOLO deployment. Applications deployed in this manner lack some functionality of servlet-contained files, such as the ability to consume SOAP web services and XML remote procedure calls.
The platform formerly known as the Laszlo Presentation Server (LPS) gave up its server-side requirement and went solo and open source in its 3.0 incarnation. Laszlo has a very similar declarative model to Flex but has a rich set of options for being hosted on the Web including the ability to support the Flash 6 player and above. The most compelling upcoming feature of Laszlo is the ability to generate Flash applications or Ajax applications from the same source code. Laszlo also support the usual round of Web services, has robust community support including a compelling integration model with RIFE. Laszlo also has a Webified feel and has been used in very large-scale Internet applications such as Pandora and Monster.com. Because it's open source, OpenLaszlo is also completely free and has no run-time licenses of any kind.


XBAP :


XBAP (XAML Browser Application) is a new Windows technology used for creating Rich Internet Applications. While windows applications are normally compiled to an .exe file, browser applications are compiled to an extension .xbap and can be run inside Internet Explorer.
Xbap applications are run within a security sandbox to prevent untrusted applications from controlling local system resources. (e.g deleting local files) .

Web 3.0

Web 3.0 is one of the terms used to describe the evolutionary stage of the Web that follows Web 2.0. The term "Web 3.0" has been introduced to hypothesize about a future wave of Internet innovation. Views on the next stage of the World Wide Web's evolution vary greatly, from the concept of emerging technologies such as the Semantic Web, ubiquitous connectivity, network computing, Distributed Databases,Intelligent Applications and advances in computer graphics will play the key role in the evolution of the World Wide Web.Web 3.0 has been described as the "executable web".

Network Computing :

Web 3.0 could be the realization and extension of the Semantic web concept. Semantic web is materialized by improving the principles of knowledge representation from Artificial Intelligence.Web 3.0 has also been linked to a possible convergence of Service-oriented architecture and the Semantic web.Web 3.0 is also called the "Internet of Services".

Distributed Databases :

Web 3.0 is the emergence of "The Data Web" as structured data records are published to the Web in reusable and remotely queryable formats, such as XML, RDF, Website Parse Template and microformats.

The recent growth of SPARQL(Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language.) technology provides a standardized query language and API for searching across distributed RDF(RESOURCE DESCRIPTION FRAMEWORK) databases on the Web. The Data Web enables a new level of data integration and application interoperability, making data as openly accessible and linkable as Web pages

Intelligent Appliations :

Web 3.0 has also been used to describe an evolutionary path for the Web that leads to artificial intelligence that can reason about the Web in a quasi-human fashion. The companies are implementing new technologies that are yielding surprising informations about latest market trends and most searched topics etc.. from mining information on Web sites.

Google uses this technoloy in its http://www.google.com/trends

Girish..

My friends u can post any openings in your company to this blog , so that our friends and juniors can knew and apply for the same.