Ajax, Flash, and Java - Choosing The Right Rich Client Technology for Your Next Project

About this Presentation

Today's users are beginning to demand richer and richer application experiences. Plain html pages simply don't cut it anymore. Applications like Google Maps (Ajax) and Yahoo Maps (Flash) show how the UI experience can be pushed to the next level. As an IT manager, how do you decide which route to take however? Should you use Ajax because it is the new “it” technology. Is Flash a viable option with its 95%+ browser availability? Perhaps Java deployed through web start is really the best choice in contrast to what the buzz would lead you to believe. This presentation takes a look at these three core rich client technologies from both deployment/user experience and ease of development perspectives.

Today's users are beginning to demand richer and richer application experiences. Plain html pages simply don't cut it anymore. Applications like Google Maps (Ajax) and Yahoo Maps (Flash) show how the UI experience can be pushed to the next level. As an IT manager, how do you decide which route to take however? Should you use Ajax because it is the new “it” technology. Is Flash a viable option with its 95%+ browser availability? Perhaps Java deployed through web start is really the best choice in contrast to what the buzz would lead you to believe. This presentation takes a look at these three core rich client technologies from both deployment/user experience and ease of development perspectives.

Meet the Players

Java
    Swing
    Swt
    Example Apps
Ajax
    Ajax 101
    Example Apps
Flash
    Flash 2006
        Laszlo
        Flex
    Example Apps

User Experience

Java
Ajax
    Browser Issues
        Back/Forward
        Hyperlinks
Flash

Deployment

Java
    Web Start
Ajax
    Cross Browser Issues
Flash

Development

Java
    Tool Support
    Http Invocation
    UI Libraries
        Swing
        Swt
Ajax
    XMLHttpRequest
    XML
    DOM's
    Javascript
    Can Struts Developer's Get This?
Flash
    Laszlo
    Flex
    Playing Nice in the Browser

Conclusions

Applications that Work Well with Java
Applications that Work Well with Ajax
Applications that Work Well with Flash