The RIIA-Rich Integrated Interface Application market has really heated up over the summer. That is the battle to have the the best GUI for cross platform, online and offline operation – write-once deliver anywhere GUI interface. Redmond is kicking as seen here:
When Microsoft rounds up these many partners for a technology that is just getting its version 1 out the door; you know they consider it very important. And doing its usual “outsourcing” of critical cross platform components, Redmond is once again shunning direct responsibility for Silverlight success on Linux but rather recruiting Novell and Manuel deIcaza to deliver Moonlight which appears to be a subset of the full Windows version of Silverlight – does this sound familiar (hint – “it runs best only in Windows”).
But Adobe is firing away too with a new Media Player and Server announcement coinciding with last week with the Silverlight fanfare. But the real blockbuster is this weeks announcement that Flex and Flex Builder will be delivered with BEA Workshop Studio (both are Eclipse based) and Flex would be integrated into BEAa Aqualogic line of products. At the same time, Adobe Life Cycle Designer (Acrobat and forms) would include a trial version of BEAs Weblogic Server. This gives more GUI options to BEA developers while extending the already strong Web Services offerings in Flex/AIR and LiveCycle.
Finally, JavaFX gained a full compiler and more development support but also still has a credibility problem. I must admit I have found myself still delaying on a full run through as I get sucked in by Open Laszlo and Flex/AIR. But the bottom line is that a write-once, run anywhere GUI interface is starting to mature rapidly.
(c)JBSurveyer 2007 If you liked this, let others know:
Slashdot 
Digg 
del.icio.us 
reddit 
newsvine 
Y! MyWeb