Rich Internet Application Development and Why You Cant Afford to Miss Out

In the world of Internet Applications there is a new kid in the town, and the name is "RIA". It stands for Rich Internet Application (if you see it as "Rich Interactive Application," that's just Microsoft terminology and trying to be different).

In a Nutshell
Rich Internet Applications are a browser-based application that achieves the experience of a desktop application with little server-side interaction. With the limitations of browser-based applications obliterated, expect to see some pretty cool RIAs on websites and other digital gadgets, like phones, cameras, and TVs.

Brief Background
Traditional Web applications were built on a client/server architecture, where all the heavy lifting was done on the server side, and only static data was rendered on the browser.

This architecture has obvious limitations, mainly concerning performance, particularly browser screen delay, where you have to wait for it to refresh and draw a page due to passing information back and forth between the server and your client side browser.

With the introduction of Rich Internet Applications, we get a client-side engine where execution is performed locally, but without the need for software installation or updates. So, pages do not require refresh because data transfer to/from the server is not needed. RIA is basically its own framework within the browser environment that opens the door for client side application features not previously available.

Rich Internet Application Development has its roots as a lab related item for Microsoft back in the late 90s. But Adobe's purchase of Macromedia and subsequent introduction of Flex in the spring of 2004 marked the beginning of the boom. Since then, many big-time players have jumped in, including Microsoft SilverLight, Adobe Flex & AIR, OpenLazlo Framework, Google Web Toolkit, JSON, REST and AJAX.

What it means for you
The advent of the RIA is somewhat of a major technological breakthrough; akin to the emergence of HD TV -- if you don't have it, you (and more importantly, your customers) are missing out one of the newest, richest , (and coolest) media experiences.

RIAs are not limited by the browser language, so HTML applications are faster and richer. RIA-infused websites can mix dynamically sourced data, video, audio and other imagery. From a user-interface, think of it like Flash on steroids, presenting data dynamically based on user interactivity without a plug-in and with any operating system.

Oh, and did I mention that most of the developer tools and platforms for this are delivered open source? Even Microsoft is even considering going open.

There are challenges ahead for Rich Internet Applications, such as their offline presentation ability, and making them play nice in the sandbox with search and web analytics. That said, heavy-hitting companies from Microsoft to Google and Adobe are recognizing the power and value in RIA tools and their ability to deliver a better online experience that is not only content-rich but smartly delivered.

Seeing is Believing. So now you know a bit more about RIAs but really the proof is seeing it in action.