Contents 1 Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) 1.1 What is a "Rich Internet Application"? 1.2 News and Developments in the RIA World 1.3 RIA Wikia Needs Your Help!

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs)Edit

One day you're browsing the Internet when suddenly you come across a site that just jumps out at you. It's fun to work with, responsive, useful, and unlike anything you've ever seen before. It's kind of like a desktop application except that it runs on your browser. Or maybe it's a new breed of downloadable application that looks just like the Internet one but it is a desktop application. You can't tell, and neither can the application.

What you've just experienced is a new type of software called the Rich Internet Application. It looks like a desktop application and can often do many of the same things, but it is a child of the Internet. It doesn't live on your PC, though it can, and it doesn't live on the web, though it can do that too. It's a hybrid technology that runs anywhere.

This is the Rich Internet Application; borne of technologies like Adobe's Flash or AIR, Microsoft's SilverLight, or Sun's JavaFX. Most of these are so new, most people haven't even heard of them. You may have seen them in action but may not have been aware of what they were...you just said "wow" as they engaged you in curious, subtle, and magnetic ways. Only now are companies beginning to harness the power of these novel technologies. As users begin to adopt them and compare them, a new way of thinking about software must emerge. Whether you're a developer working with one of these technologies, a cultural observer watching the story unfold, or part of the audience who wants to see this stuff in action, join the RIA Wikia and be a part of the movement.

What is a "Rich Internet Application"?Edit

The term "Rich Internet Application" has been broadly applied to many different types of software and technologies. Although the underlying concept seems to be generally agreed-upon, a formal definition has not yet been made. This section attempts to create and provide a definition for "Rich Internet Application" in an inclusive, holistic way. In other words, this definition should include all RIA software and, furthermore, allow both developers and end-users to be able to clearly identify a Rich Internet Application.

Rich Internet Application (RIA): Software whose core operating platform is, or was originally, web browser based.

Accompanying definitions of unclear or vague terms follow:

Platform: The minimum set of requirements, whether software, hardware, or other, that is required for the target technology to execute.

Under these definitions, defining a Rich Internet Application should be clear. If the original software platform is based on the web-browser then the application is a Rich Internet Application, even if it runs on the desktop. We say that the platform is the minimum requirement since, under practical development considerations, control cannot be gained beyond this limit. For example, JavaScript can only control the browser and not the operating system underneath, hence the browser may be considered the platform for JavaScript. However, even this is not entirely accurate since JavaScript requires the JavaScript interpreter (and perhaps a specific version of the JavaScript language). Therefore, the JavaScript interpreter is the platform for JavaScript.

In the case of Rich Internet Applications, the lowest shared common denominator is that of the browser-based technology. It may be Flash, Silverlight, AJAX, or some other system. However, since these technologies have been adapted to work on the desktop, as is the case with the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), we must also include "or was originally" to the definition.

Please note that this Wikia entry is open to clarification and so the definition may change in order to increase its precision.

News and Developments in the RIA WorldEdit

Curl performance found to outperform Flash in JPEG compression test: Curl Test

Adobe Flash Player 10 was recently released for public testing. Read up on all the new features here: First looks at Adobe Flash Player 10.

RIA Wikia Needs Your Help!Edit

The following pages are either stubs or incomplete. Add your expertise!

JavaScript
JavaFX
CURL