What is a Rich Internet Application (RIA)?
"Rich Internet Application technologies combine the best of traditional graphical
user interface applications with the wide reach of Web-based access. These
solutions will help meet customer demand for a richer customer experience."
-Mark Driver, Ray Valdes, Gene Phifer, Gartner Group, May 11, 2005
In order for users to learn new business applications quickly and become productive, traditional GUIs have evolved to deliver rich, friendly and intuitive clients based on ergonomic design principles. But these traditional fat-client GUIs lacks the reach and ability to support on-demand real-time access to the Internet while browser-based GUIs present functionality.
Browser-based GUIs on the other hand, give access to the reach and immediacy of the Internet, but coming from a page-based document-centric design approach, lack the rich user experience that is required for business applications, especially those that require quick response and complex data manipulation such as CRM, business intelligence, and electronic retailing.
These shortcomings in current technology have been recognized, and a new application model is emerging. Called RIA, it takes the best elements of both the rich GUI and the highly deployable Web back end, with the intent of allowing Web applications to evolve beyond a page-based, document-centric model.
RIA technologies give Web applications the potential to leapfrog the capabilities of traditional desktop applications. An RIA solution can have the global real-time reach of the Internet while delivering the ease of use of a traditional desktop application.
An RIA-based solution can be implemented with several technologies layered on the browser. The most commonly considered are:
- Java applets on the browser
- DHTML
- Ajax (a combination of XHTML, Javascript, XML and other technologies)
- Specialized plug-ins
- ActiveX controls
- Flash player
Questra has a vision of Intelligent Device Management (IDM) that surpasses current definitions of remote service. We see IDM expanding to create exciting new opportunities for manufacturers, even new business models that transform service delivery and customer relationships. The RIA platform is essential to driving that vision.
To learn more about RIAs and how Questra sees the transformation of IDM, click here for our new white paper "Essentials of Rich Internet Applications: an IDM Perspective"
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