Rich Internet Application Platforms Roundup

Internet is changing... so do the clients Internet Connection getting faster and stable. Client computers getting more advanced. Expectations getting more in terms of interactions, design and usability Ajax was a great start but can not drive the change. Cross Browser and Cross OS compability getting more important Ruby and scripting platforms encourage fast and agile development

Internet Connection getting faster and stable.

Client computers getting more advanced.

Expectations getting more in terms of interactions, design and usability

Ajax was a great start but can not drive the change.

Cross Browser and Cross OS compability getting more important

Ruby and scripting platforms encourage fast and agile development

Ajax&HTML is not the only alternative Adobe's Flex became very mature, version 4 is in development stage. Microsoft's Silverlight is catching up with version 2. JavaFx is still in early phase but very promising. Eclipse became the development platform for all. Even Microsoft is moving to eclipse.

Adobe's Flex became very mature, version 4 is in development stage.

Microsoft's Silverlight is catching up with version 2.

JavaFx is still in early phase but very promising.

Eclipse became the development platform for all.

Even Microsoft is moving to eclipse.

Adobe's Flex Flex had been on eclipse since version 2 just after the acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe. Flex SDK is open source since version 3. (not including the eclipse plugin) A subset of Flex Live Services is also open sourced and available for free under name of BlazeDS Flex SDK and Builder version 4 is in pre release stage. Flex is much more stable than all competitors, thanks to flash runtime and previous versions. Learning curve of ActionScript is easy for Java Developers. Data services offer Remoting capabilities with Java and very fast. Wide variety of commercial and open source libraries (including Google's flexlib and Yahoo's astra) and design templates are available. Great integration with Flash. Ease of Design with Flash Catalyst (formerly called Thermo)

Flex had been on eclipse since version 2 just after the acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe.

Flex SDK is open source since version 3. (not including the eclipse plugin)

A subset of Flex Live Services is also open sourced and available for free under name of BlazeDS

Flex SDK and Builder version 4 is in pre release stage.

Flex is much more stable than all competitors, thanks to flash runtime and previous versions.

Learning curve of ActionScript is easy for Java Developers.

Data services offer Remoting capabilities with Java and very fast.

Wide variety of commercial and open source libraries (including Google's flexlib and Yahoo's astra) and design templates are available.

Great integration with Flash.

Ease of Design with Flash Catalyst (formerly called Thermo)

Flex Code Example

What's new with Flex4 Design in Mind: provide a framework meant for continuous collaboration between designer and developer. Developer Productivity: improve compiler performance and add productivity enhancements to language features like data binding Framework Evolution: take advantage of new Flash Player capabilities and add features required by common use-cases

Design in Mind: provide a framework meant for continuous collaboration between designer and developer.

Developer Productivity: improve compiler performance and add productivity enhancements to language features like data binding

Framework Evolution: take advantage of new Flash Player capabilities and add features required by common use-cases

FXG 1.0 anXML-based graphics interchange format for the Flash Platform Fills the gap between Flash and Flex. Graphic objects, Symbols, Raster Effects, Text and Fonts Rendering, Painting, Clipping, Masking and Object Opacity Basic Data Types; angle, length, percentage, coordinate Document Structure Coordinate Space Transformations FXG Paths; moveto, lineto, curve FXG Fills, Strokes, Visibility and Blend Modes http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/FXG+1.0+Specification

Fills the gap between Flash and Flex.

Graphic objects, Symbols, Raster Effects, Text and Fonts

Rendering, Painting, Clipping, Masking and Object Opacity

Basic Data Types; angle, length, percentage, coordinate

Document Structure

Coordinate Space Transformations

FXG Paths; moveto, lineto, curve

FXG Fills, Strokes, Visibility and Blend Modes

http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/FXG+1.0+Specification

Gumbo Skinning (including SkinnableComponent) http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Gumbo+Skinning

http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Gumbo+Skinning

MXML 2009

Two-way Data Binding http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Two-way+Data+Binding

http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Two-way+Data+Binding

Others... ASDoc in MXML Gumbo DOM Tree API CSS Advanced Selectors Group Layout Viewport Application Scroller Text Primitives (TextBox, TextGraphic, and TextView) FxTextInput FxTextArea ScrollBar Range TrackBase Slider Spinner NumericStepper

ASDoc in MXML

Gumbo DOM Tree API

CSS Advanced Selectors

Group

Layout

Viewport

Application

Scroller

Text Primitives (TextBox, TextGraphic, and TextView)

FxTextInput

FxTextArea

ScrollBar

Range

TrackBase

Slider

Spinner

NumericStepper

More Advanced... Pixel Bender Integration Arbitrary Type Interpolation New Effects for Components and Graphics 3D Effects Support Effect Interruption and Reversal Shader Based Bitmap Effects Notes on Compiler Performance Improvements Spark DropDownList (added 3/25/09) Flex Component Kit for Flash (added 3/25/09) Virtualization (added 3/30/09) CSS Namespaces Support (added 4/01/09) http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Gumbo#Gumbo-DocumentsandSpecifications

Pixel Bender Integration

Arbitrary Type Interpolation

New Effects for Components and Graphics

3D Effects Support

Effect Interruption and Reversal

Shader Based Bitmap Effects

Notes on Compiler Performance Improvements

Spark DropDownList (added 3/25/09)

Flex Component Kit for Flash (added 3/25/09)

Virtualization (added 3/30/09)

CSS Namespaces Support (added 4/01/09)

http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Gumbo#Gumbo-DocumentsandSpecifications

Microsoft's Silverlight Silverlight 1.0 came with lack of components and a stable IDE. Silverlight 1.0 did not hava own scripting language and was tightly coupled with JavaScript As with version 2 Silverlight SDK has more components. Again with version 2 C# scripts can be used in Silverlight. Good interaction with .net projects. Not open source. Eclipse plugin is a good step but still need external editors such as Blend for animation and advanced design. No Debugging Code assist not complete yet. Runtime is getting spread fast with windows updates.

Silverlight 1.0 came with lack of components and a stable IDE.

Silverlight 1.0 did not hava own scripting language and was tightly coupled with JavaScript

As with version 2 Silverlight SDK has more components.

Again with version 2 C# scripts can be used in Silverlight.

Good interaction with .net projects.

Not open source.

Eclipse plugin is a good step but still need external editors such as Blend for animation and advanced design.

No Debugging

Code assist not complete yet.

Runtime is getting spread fast with windows

updates.

Silverlight Code Example

What's new with Silverlight 2 Version 2 lets you write VB.NET or C# code that will run in Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Safari which means you don't have to use JavaScript any longer Controls; core form controls (TextBox, CheckBox, RadioButton, etc), built-in layout management panels (StackPanel, Grid, Panel, etc), common functionality controls (Slider, ScrollViewer, Calendar, DatePicker, etc), and data manipulation controls (DataGrid, ListBox, etc). PasswordBox, ComboBox (non-editable), MessageBox and ProgressBar. Updated look and feel for controls. Support for popping up windows; HtmlPage.PopupWindow API Resources; Color, FontFamily, TextAlignment... etc

Version 2 lets you write VB.NET or C# code that will run in Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Safari which means you don't have to use JavaScript any longer

Controls; core form controls (TextBox, CheckBox, RadioButton, etc), built-in layout management panels (StackPanel, Grid, Panel, etc), common functionality controls (Slider, ScrollViewer, Calendar, DatePicker, etc), and data manipulation controls (DataGrid, ListBox, etc). PasswordBox, ComboBox (non-editable), MessageBox and ProgressBar. Updated look and feel for controls.

Support for popping up windows; HtmlPage.PopupWindow API

Resources; Color, FontFamily, TextAlignment... etc

More with version 2... Networking Support: support for calling REST, WS*/SOAP, POX, RSS, and standard HTTP services. It supports cross domain network access (enabling Silverlight clients to directly access resources and data from resources on the web). Also includes built-in sockets networking support. Rich Base Class Library: collections, IO, generics, threading, globalization, XML, local storage, etc. Includes rich APIs that enable HTML DOM/JavaScript integration with .NET code. It also includes LINQ and LINQ to XML library support, as well as local data caching and storage support. Silverlight 2 does not require the .NET Framework to be installed on a computer in order to run. The Silverlight setup download includes everything necessary to enable all the above features. Silverlight 2 is 4.3MB in size

Networking Support: support for calling REST, WS*/SOAP, POX, RSS, and standard HTTP services. It supports cross domain network access (enabling Silverlight clients to directly access resources and data from resources on the web). Also includes built-in sockets networking support.

Rich Base Class Library: collections, IO, generics, threading, globalization, XML, local storage, etc. Includes rich APIs that enable HTML DOM/JavaScript integration with .NET code. It also includes LINQ and LINQ to XML library support, as well as local data caching and storage support.

Silverlight 2 does not require the .NET Framework to be installed on a computer in order to run. The Silverlight setup download includes everything necessary to enable all the above features. Silverlight 2 is 4.3MB in size

Silverlight on Eclipse! The plug-in is being developed by Soyatec with funding, architectural guidance, and project management from Microsoft's Interoperability Team Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.5.0-11 or higher Eclipse Ganymede 3.4.1 Microsoft .NET® Framework 3.5 Silverlight 2 Runtime 2.0.31005.0 or higher Silverlight 2 SDK No debugger yet, but one is planned by summer. Doesn't yet work on 64-bit or any OS other than windows.

The plug-in is being developed by Soyatec with funding, architectural guidance, and project management from Microsoft's Interoperability Team

Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.5.0-11 or higher

Eclipse Ganymede 3.4.1

Microsoft .NET® Framework 3.5

Silverlight 2 Runtime 2.0.31005.0 or higher

Silverlight 2 SDK

No debugger yet, but one is planned by summer.

Doesn't yet work on 64-bit or any OS other than windows.

JavaFX Did Sun get the lessons in applets or is it just Applets 2.0 Consumer JRE is a great step for ease of JRE installment. Applets and WebStart are mature tecnologies supporting JavaFx Eclipse plugin is finally available. The eclipse plugin is not very stable and functional yet Lack of components when compared to Flex and Silverlight. By use of wrappers all Java libraries available from Swing to RMI. Java Developers feel safer to stay in the same environment. Coding style differs from Flex and Silverlight. While competitors are built on XML, JavaFx code style looks like a CSS file. Still version 1. Needs improvements. Open sourcing the SDK may boost the evolution process.

Did Sun get the lessons in applets or is it just Applets 2.0

Consumer JRE is a great step for ease of JRE installment.

Applets and WebStart are mature tecnologies supporting JavaFx

Eclipse plugin is finally available.

The eclipse plugin is not very stable and functional yet

Lack of components when compared to Flex and Silverlight.

By use of wrappers all Java libraries available from Swing to RMI.

Java Developers feel safer to stay in the same environment.

Coding style differs from Flex and Silverlight. While competitors are built on XML, JavaFx code style looks like a CSS file.

Still version 1. Needs improvements.

Open sourcing the SDK may boost the evolution process.

JavaFX Code Sample

What JavaFx Offers http://javafx.com/ A good site full of tutorials and sample applications. Runs on widely accepted and stable JRE Easy to install or update Runtime. Production Suite; JavaFX Media Factory (SVG Importer/Transcoder) JavaFX Plugin for Adobe Photoshop JavaFX Plugin for Adobe Illustrator JavaFx Mobile with version 1.1 Mostly open sourced Good integration with Java Whole JRE and Java libraries available to use (with wrappers); RMI, sockets, swing... etc Different launch methods supported either as applet or WebStart Eclipse Plugin available...

http://javafx.com/ A good site full of tutorials and sample applications.

Runs on widely accepted and stable JRE

Easy to install or update Runtime.

Production Suite;

JavaFX Media Factory (SVG Importer/Transcoder)

JavaFX Plugin for Adobe Photoshop

JavaFX Plugin for Adobe Illustrator

JavaFx Mobile with version 1.1

Mostly open sourced

Good integration with Java

Whole JRE and Java libraries available to use (with wrappers); RMI, sockets, swing... etc

Different launch methods supported either as applet or WebStart

Eclipse Plugin available...

What JavaFx can't offer New platform, same Sun... Where is javafx.ui.* package... http://www.flexjava.org/2009/03/javafx-new-platform-same-sun.html Does not offer new shinny UI components. Lack of components, development left to community. Not as mature as Flex or even Silverlight. Eclipse plugin does not offer code assist and debugging

New platform, same Sun... Where is javafx.ui.* package... http://www.flexjava.org/2009/03/javafx-new-platform-same-sun.html

Does not offer new shinny UI components.

Lack of components, development left to community.

Not as mature as Flex or even Silverlight.

Eclipse plugin does not offer code assist and debugging

Coding the Rich Client One Eclipse installiation to rule them all... Lets code..

Thank You.. Murat YENER [email_address] www.flexjava.org Yunus Bayraktar [email_address] www.flexjava.org

Resources http:// www.flexjava.org http:// www.javafx.com http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk

http:// www.flexjava.org

http:// www.javafx.com

http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk