Rich Internet application

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"See also" category: Rich Internet applications

Rich Internet applications (RIAs) are web applications that have some of the characteristics of desktop applications, typically delivered by way of a proprietary web browser plug-ins or independently via sandboxes or virtual machines[1]. Examples of RIA frameworks include Adobe Flex/AIR, Java/JavaFX[2] and Microsoft Silverlight[3].

The term was introduced in the 1990s by vendors like Macromedia who were addressing limitations at the time in the "richness of the application interfaces, media and content, and the overall sophistication of the solutions" by introducing proprietary extensions[4].

As web standards (such as Ajax and HTML 5) have developed and web browsers' compliance has improved there is less need for such extensions, and Javascript compilers with their associated desktop-like widget sets reduce the need for browser extensions even further.[citation needed] HTML 5 delivers a full-fledged application platform; "a level playing field where video, sound, images, animations, and full interactivity with your computer are all standardized"[5].

It is now possible to build RIA-like Web applications that run in all modern browsers without the need of special run-times or plug-ins. This means that if one could run a modern Ajax-based Web application outside of a web browser (e.g. using Mozilla Prism or Fluid) it would essentially be an RIA[1], though there is some contention as to whether this is actually the case.[6]

Contents

[edit] Deployment

With very few exceptions (most notably YouTube which currently relies on Adobe Flash for video playback) the vast majority of the most popular web sites are native web applications[7]. Online gaming is one area where RIAs are prevalent and applications (such as Dimdim) which require access to video capture also tend to use RIAs (with the notable exception of Gmail which uses its own task-specific browser plug-in[8]).

[edit] Key characteristics

  • Accessibility of data to search engines and web accessibility can be impaired. For example it took over a decade from release for Adobe Flash to be universally searchable[9].
  • Advanced communications with supporting servers can improve the user experience, for example by using optimised network protocols, asynchronous I/O and pre-fetching data (eg Google Maps). Accordingly, reliable broadband connections are often required.
  • Complexity of advanced solutions can make them more difficult to design, develop, deploy and debug than traditional web applications (but typically less so than application software).
  • Consistency of user interface and experience can be controlled across operating systems. Performance monitoring and fault diagnosis can be particularly difficult.
  • Installation and Maintenance of plug-ins, sandboxes or virtual machines is required (but applications are smaller than their predecessors and updates are typically automated). Installation is typically faster than that of application software but slower than that of native web applications and automation may not be possible.
  • Offline use may be supported by retaining state locally on the client machine, but developments in web standards (prototyped in Google Gears) have also enabled this for native web applications.
  • Security can improve over that of application software (for example through use of sandboxes and automatic updates) but the extensions themselves are subject to vulnerabilities and access possible is often much greater than that of native web applications[10].
  • Performance can improve depending on the application and network characteristics. In particular, applications which can avoid the latency of round-trips to the server by processing locally on the client are often a lot faster. Offloading work to the clients can also improve server performance. Conversely the resource requirements can be prohibitive for small, embedded and mobile devices.
  • Richness by way of features not supported natively by the web browser such as video capture (eg Adobe Flash).

[edit] Frameworks

"See also" category: Rich Internet application frameworks

An appropriate Rich Internet application framework is usually required to run an RIA, and needs to be installed using the computer's operating system before launching the application. The software framework is typically responsible for downloading, updating, verifying and executing the RIA.[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b RIA War Is Brewing
  2. ^ A Convergence of User Interface Paradigms of Web and Desktop
  3. ^ Which Rich Internet Application (RIA) Technology Will Lead The Pack
  4. ^ Macromedia March 2002 requirements for Rich Internet Applications
  5. ^ How HTML 5 Is Already Changing the Web
  6. ^ Mozilla Prism Apps aren’t RIAs
  7. ^ RIA is Dead! Long Live Web Applications
  8. ^ Gmail Voice and Video Chat
  9. ^ Once Nearly Invisible To Search Engines, Flash Files Can Now Be Found And Indexed
  10. ^ Living in the RIA World: Blurring the Line Between Web and Desktop Security, 2008
  11. ^ Laszlo: An Open Source Framework for Rich Internet Applications

[edit] External links

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Rich Internet applications
Basic frameworks
SSB platforms
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