The Rich Internet Experience

AJAX World RIA Conference: Do RIA Widgets Open Security Back Doors?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EDT

By producing a popular RIA widget you can distribute your code to millions of users practically overnight. Most widgets are designed to gather data from the web and then present that data to the user. In order to enable this functionality, Google Gadgets for example support a rich programming model based on based on JavaScript and the Gadgets' API. Unfortunately, rich platforms tend to lead to programming errors and security issues. The users of a poorly written RIA widget can have their online accounts breached, web site passwords compromised, local computer data stolen, and even lose control of their computer. This presentation, via code snippets, flow diagrams, and other means, discusses how to write an RIA widget that avoids these pitfalls.

AJAX World RIA Conference: Building RIAs Using Google Web Toolkit (GWT)

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Rich Internet Applications using AJAX technology has truly improved the end user experience. But, as a developer if you are new to it, be warned: AJAX projects can quickly degenerate into a nightmare of spaghetti script. Large JavaScript technology code bases are often hard to write, read, test, and debug--not to mention the complexity of efficiently supporting multiple browsers. If you are a Java developer, you have another choice - the Google Web Toolkit (GWT). GWT is a lightweight, reusable Java technology framework has taken a unique approach to developing rich internet applications to wrangle AJAX coding issues. The Google Web Toolkit addresses code reuse, performance, multibrowser support, debugging, and testing AJAX applications.

AJAX World RIA Conference - Extreme RIA: Developing Customer Solutions in an Evolving Landscape

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EDT

In this talk, ILOG's Chief RIA Architect and Project Manager will share his experiences working with customers on RIA projects. He will describe requirements of RIA, the market acceptance, and technical limitations based on various approaches. The session will also include a live RIA demo on many different platforms.

AJAX World RIA Conference: Spice Up User Experience with Silverlight

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:15:00 EDT

Microsoft introduced Silverlight as cross-platform, cross-browser next generation RIA solution. This session will use real world implementations to show you how to build a Silverlight application from start to finish, as well overall strategy why we should or shouldn't use Silverlight. No matter whether you have LAMP, ASP.NET or Java Web application, you can take advantage of Silverlight to impress your user with the "Wow" effects.

AJAX World RIA Conference: Making the Business Case for RIAs in the SME Market

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:45:00 EDT

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from RIAs for all the same reasons large enterprises can: enhanced user experience and resulting customer loyalty, decreased development and deployment costs, and increased employee productivity. But how do you persuade a manager with limited resources to invest in RIA development? Learn to make a persuasive business case with rational arguments like return on investment analysis and emotional ones like leveraging social proof. Whether you are an employee in an SME or an external consultant that wants to get work from one, you'll learn skills to help you make the RIA case.

AJAX World RIA Conference: RIAs & SaaS - Like Bees & Honey

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:15:00 EDT

25% percent of new business software will be delivered as SaaS by 2011, according to Gartner. RIAs are essential for SaaS applications. But the characteristics of SaaS RIAs can be very distinct from other web applications, including componentization, scalability, unified user experience, and integration with other applications. This session will identify how SaaS is unique from other web applications and how RIAs can expose internal business systems to automate the marketing, trial, purchasing, configuration, support and social referral processes that are essential for scalable and profitable SaaS.

AJAX World RIA Conference: IA and RIA - You Know More Than You Think You Do

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:45:00 EDT

For the last couple of years, there has been a lot of giddiness around the creation or Rich Internet Applications or RIAs. Their fluidity, animation and ability to present and manipulate large amounts of data makes them readily appealing to businesses that want to go beyond the linear processes that HTML web sites offer. They are becoming more common and the demand from clients is increasing. What’s the buzz about? In this session Travelocity's Principal Information Architect will share his experience and some things he has learned about RIAs that validated much of what he already knew.

AJAX World RIA Conference - High Performance in RIAs: Five Practical Strategies and How to Implement Them

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Those of us in the business of writing rich Internet applications have seen the focus swing from how to add richness to how to manage richness and the resources it demands in the browser. Steve Souders's recent volume from O'Reilly, High Performance Web Sites, and the canonical performance rules Steve pioneered with the Exceptional Performance Team at Yahoo in recent years have helped bring data-driven order to the lore that surrounds browser performance.

AJAX World RIA Conference - AJAX for Oracle: Building RIAs Without Browser Plug-ins

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Enterprise developers (and users) definitely want Web 2.0 features, but unfortunately very few of them have the time to learn and keep up with the swift pace of advancement in AJAX. One approach to solving this problem is to take a bunch of AJAX features and bake them into APIs stored in a database that can be called using simple declarative markup language. In this session John Krahulec will show how the the application server middle tier can be virtualized into the Oracle database, bridging the gap between front-end rich UI and back-end data systems.

AJAX World RIA Conference - User Experience and RIAs: How Does It All Come Together?

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

RIAs provide the promise of an excellent User experience, but the ultimate success of the UX is driven more by the skill of the developer than the tool selection itself. This session will discuss the foundation and importance of the application of cognitive science techniques to the process of designing and building a rich Web application.

AJAX World: Enterprise RIA - Real Examples and Lessons Learnt

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:15:00 EDT

With Web as the new platform, it’s very clear that client-server application architecture of yesterday must migrate to the Rich Internet Applications (RIA) of tomorrow. This new RIA platform yields significant improvement to the user experience (UXP) while lowering the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). We will present several cases of real deployment (using Curl RIA Platform) by large customers and discuss the lessons learnt - such as demands for robust scalability, high security, and super high performance. The need for very flexible architecture and agile development will also be covered.

AJAX World RIA Conference: Building RIAs Using Microsoft Silverlight 2

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:45:00 EDT

Many of today (and tomorrow’s) development projects lend themselves nicely to RIA application patterns. Silverlight offers a compelling RIA development experience that works on Linux, the Mac and windows as well as all major browsers. With HD video, vector based graphics and a rich set of controls including DataGrid Silverlight offers a compelling development experience in nearly any programming language you’d like from C# and VB to JavaScript and Python. Learn how to use Visual Studio to create applications, how to create UI using XAML markup and code, how to retrieve data from the web, and how to manipulate data with XML and LINQ. This talk uses the 100% free Silverlight runtime and Visual Studio tools.

AJAX World: Building Great AJAX Applications from Scratch Using ASP.NET 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Come see a no-slides, code-only presentation that starts with a blank directory and builds a data-driven, AJAX enabled, ASP.NET web application from scratch that implements common AJAX patterns with the rich set of AJAX Control Toolkit, accesses data with LINQ, and implements standards-based styling and layout using CSS and clean HTML. Learn the new features of ASP.NET 3.5 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and how they integrate together to provide the world's most productive web development experience. This talk uses the 100% free .NET Framework and Visual Studio tools and the resulting application will work with all browsers, Safari, Firefox and of course IE.

Curl Announces General Availability of Curl Development Tools for Eclipse

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Curl announced that it has completed the final phase of its Eclipse development strategy with the general availability release of Curl Development tools for Eclipse (CDE). The CDE is a set of Eclipse plug-ins that provides an environment for developing programs in the Curl language and on the current release of the Curl Rich Internet Application (RIA) Platform, Version 6.0. With the full release of the CDE, programmers can take advantage of the enterprise-class features of the Curl platform within the flexible Eclipse development environment.

Keynote Systems Named "Platinum Sponsor" of SYS-CON's AJAXWorld RIA Conference & Expo

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Keynote Systems is a provider of on-demand test & measurement solutions for continuously improving the online experience. As an independent third-party, Keynote provides IT and marketing executives with an unbiased view into their Internet services from around the world and enables companies to understand and improve their customer's online and mobile experience. Keynote's test and measurement businesses include: Web performance, mobile quality, streaming & VoIP, and customer experience/UX. Keynote's industry analysis group, Keynote Competitive Research, publishes proprietary studies measuring customer experience and service levels across a wide range of industries.

JavaFX Preview Out

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:54:00 EDT

Sun has released a JavaFX preview to create sexy rich Internet applications (RIAs) on PCs, mobile, TV and other consumer devices on the Java platform. It’s not ready for commercial applications yet; Sun is looking for feedback.

A Guide to Rich Internet Application (RIA) Security

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Read about Forrester's findings on RIA security included in a Forrester Research paper valued at $775 titled 'Securing Rich Internet Applications' by Jeffrey Hammond, plus find out about Curl's Security Architecture in a new Curl white paper titled 'Developing Secure Rich Internet Applications for the Enterprise' by David Kranz, CTO.

SnapLogic Announces SugarCRM Solution Pack

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:15:00 EDT

SnapLogic announced the SugarCRM Solution Pack, an extension to the SnapLogic open source data integration framework. SnapLogic enables enterprises to integrate data on both sides of the enterprise firewall and to create custom integration solutions, including application integrations, enterprise mashups, and rich Internet applications (RIAs). The SugarCRM Solution Pack enables integration of SugarCRM with other SaaS applications, behind-the-firewall enterprise applications, Web sites, and other data sources. The Solution Pack supports both standard SugarCRM deployments, as well as Sugar On-Demand implementations. SnapLogic also announced that it has joined SugarCRM's SugarExchange program.

User Experience and RIAs: How Does It All Come Together?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:15:00 EDT

RIAs provide the promise of an excellent User eXperience, but the ultimate success of the UX is driven more by the skill of the developer than the tool selection itself. This session will discuss the foundation and importance of the application of cognitive science techniques to the process of designing and building a rich Web application. The presentation will provide: Overview of Human Factors/Usability and how these techniques have been applied to the Web, Basic concepts (heuristics) that should be met in any web application, and Resources so that attendees can perform this sort of work independently.

Web 2.0 Journal Case Study: Transcending E-mail as a Platform for Multi-Person Collaboration

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:15:00 EDT

E-mail is extremely easy to adopt and use, and lends itself very well to certain types of collaboration. When two people are attempting to collaborate asynchronously, e-mail is usually the best solution. It's certainly far less frustrating than phone tag. But once more people are involved, email's utility rapidly degenerates. While the rise of free, open-source solutions makes it tempting to build one's own collaboration tools, on-demand or Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions are the better choice for the majority of users and uses.

Why the Web Dinosaurs Died

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

A fast-moving Comet is about to impact the Internet. When it hits, it will wipe away the architecture flaws we have lived with for the past 15 years and allow a new World Wide Web to evolve. This new Web will include applications that are instantly on and always on, applications that are truly multi-user, and applications that go far beyond today's 'click and wait' Web solutions.

Cynergy Continues Expansion

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Cynergy Systems announced the opening of its Boston office. Located at 34 Farnsworth Street in the popular Seaport area, Cynergy's newest office is in the heart of Boston's growing digital media community.

Curl Announces General Availability of Its Curl Data Kit

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Curl announced the release of its Curl Data Kit (CDK), the second product to be delivered from Curl's Open Source initiative. As the newest addition to Version 6.0 of the Curl Rich Internet Application (RIA) Platform, the CDK library facilitates building data-centric applications in Curl and provides support for local SQL databases. By allowing the storage and retrieval of data using the popular SQLite engine, the CDK library is an important foundation for occasionally connected computing (OCC) applications developed with Curl.

Catalyst Resources Uses RIAs and SaaS to Shrink Carbon Footprint

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:45:00 EDT

Catalyst Resources released a 'green audit' of their software-as-a-service (SaaS) collaborative workspace project that allows distributed business teams of all sizes to work virtually and seamlessly online. The Rich Internet Application (RIA) enabled Catalyst Resources to reduce its carbon impact footprint by 21,000 lbs of CO2 per month, while simultaneously reducing expenses and increasing billable activities by nearly 20%.

Curl to Provide RIA Technology to U-Hawaii at Manoa

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:45:00 EDT

Curl announced that the University of Hawaii at Manoa will be leveraging the Curl Rich Internet Application (RIA) platform this year for an independent study project entitled 'Anti-Keylogger for Secure Web Applications.' Curl was selected as the technology for the course because of its easy-to-learn programming language and strong security features for developing Web-based applications.

Curl Releases RIA Desktop Demo Application that Visualizes Facebook Social Graphs

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Curl made available the newest example of a Curl Nitro 'fit client' application. Designed by Manuel Lima, the founder of VisualComplexity.com, the CurlGraph features a visual representation of the social graph of individual Facebook members. Using the desktop-based application, users can visualize a circle of up to 128 friends from an established Facebook account, enabling them to see relationships and navigate quickly through that friend data to find the information they want. Through this demo application, Curl showcases its ability to support a visually engaging, interactive desktop application that is deployed like a Web application.

OSHPD Selects Farallon Geographics to Build GIS RIA

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Farallon Geographics and its design partner Stamen Designs have been selected by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) to develop a Rich Internet Application (RIA) for the next generation of its 'California Health Care Atlas'. The new Web-based atlas will integrate interactive mapping, reporting, and charting elements with a dynamic real-time interface to tell the healthcare story in California, allowing a broad spectrum of users the ability to investigate and learn about the human health and healthcare landscape in California.

AJAX RIA News - Which Technologies Will Carry the Rich Internet Torch?

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:30:00 EDT

If Gartner's assessment of AJAX's position on the Hype Cycle is correct, then the days when AJAX is the only game in town are over. Enter the age of what Anne Thomas Manes of the Burton Group calls 'Fit Clients' - a hybrid of Thick Clients (a.k.a. Fat Clients) and Thin Clients (HTML and RIA). Adobe AIR is definitely a Fit Client technology, but it's not the first and won't be the only player in this space.

Curl Announces Public Beta Availability of Eclipse-Based RIA Development Tools

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:15:00 EDT

Curl is executing on the next phase in its Eclipse strategy with the availability of the beta versions of the new Eclipse-based Curl Rich Internet Application (RIA) development tools. The first release of the Curl Development tools for Eclipse (CDE) and newest release of the Curl Runtime Environment (RTE), Version 6.0.4, provide enterprise developers with the tools to build and deploy their mission-critical, enterprise-class RIAs within the increasingly popular Eclipse environment.

AJAX RIA News - Cynergy Named as Finalist

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Cynergy Systems announced it has been selected as a finalist for the 2008 Helios Apollo Awards. In conjunction with the Washington, D.C. metropolitan chapters for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and SmartCEO magazine, Helios HR, a provider of outsourced human resources and HR consulting, has chosen to honor Cynergy as a local company dedicated to promoting employee development.

AJAX World - Curl's RIA Run Time for the Mac Out

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Curl announced the general availability of the Curl Run Time Environment (RTE) for Macintosh. The Curl RTE is the engine of the Curl Rich Internet Application (RIA) Platform that executes Curl applications and renders code, content and graphics on client machines. As a result of this release, Macintosh users can now take advantage of the same enterprise-class features of the Curl RTE that are already offered to Windows and Linux users.

AJAX RIA World - The Tale of Two Webs

Tue, 27 May 2008 14:45:00 EDT

When talking about the 'web' what are we referring to? For most people it's what can be experienced through their web browser including HTML, audio and video streaming, Flash-based animation, or rich Internet Application (RIA) interfaces. The key to this perspective is the web browser, which is viewed as essential for experiencing any type of content available via a hyperlink on the web.

Engelbart's Usability Dilemma: Efficiency vs Ease-of-Use

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:15:00 EDT

The mouse was the original idea of Doug Engelbart who was the head of the Augmentation Research Center (ARC) at Stanford Research Institute. Engelbart's philosophy is best embodied, in my opinion, in the design of another device that he invented, the five-finger keyboard - with keys like a piano, used by one hand. The problem was, Engelbart's five-finger keyboard and mouse combination was very difficult to learn.

The "Uncanny Valley" Theory Doesn't Apply to Desktop UI

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:45:00 EDT

If you design an application that runs on Windows but doesn't look exactly like Windows, so the old argument goes, the effect will be unsettling for users. But sticking to the native look and feel (L&F) should not be the end-goal of designers.

Enterprise Widgets: The Story So Far

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:45:00 EDT

Desktop widgets have been around for a very long time. The first set of desktop widgets were introduced by Apple back in 1983 with their release of Apple Desktop Accessories. Obviously Apple was way ahead of the curve, but these early widgets were not Internet enabled - the popular Internet, as we know it, didn't exist - so their utility was pretty limited.

The Grand Convergence: Web + RIA + Widgets + Client/Server

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:30:00 EDT

For the past ten years application developers have been stuck with only two desktop client choices. Traditionally, they can choose either a very thin Web-client technology implemented in HTML and CSS, or a very heavyweight thick client experience implemented using traditional client/server (C/S) technologies (e.g. Java Swing, MFC). It wasn't until the introduction of RIA technologies (e.g. AJAX, Adobe Flex, Curl, and Silverlight) and widget engines (e.g. Yahoo! Widgets and Google Gadgets) that we were given more options.