Veteran RIA (Rich Internet Application) vendor Lazslo Systems is hoping that its new focus on selling the Laszlo Webtop will finally enable the company to find the market success that has so far eluded it. Laszlo calls the Webtop offering a "Web 2.0 desktop" because the software is browser-based; it relies on Ajax (or Flash) technology for layout and interactivity; and the product's foundation allows for easy integration with other data sources and systems.

Continue reading "Laszlo pitches Webtop software with RIA market still in doldrums" »

Posted by TomR at 01:23 PM | Permalink

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the "business launch" of several of its most prominent software offerings, including Windows Vista, 2007 Microsoft Office, and Exchange Server 2007. However, the individual organizational jury is still out on whether the new features and capabilities of these products outweigh the cost of their adoption, deployment, and support. The biggest hurdle for Microsoft to overcome will be trying to convince its existing customer base to upgrade.

Continue reading "Microsoft launches Vista and Office upgrades for businesses" »

Posted by TomR at 12:08 PM | Permalink

Vendors have struggled for years to sell thin-client, interactive user interface (UI) technology. These rich Internet applications (RIA) solutions rarely caught on with organizations despite the drawbacks of standard Web interfaces and client-server solutions, such as constant page loads and the high cost of deploying and maintaining thick client applications.Even though RIA offerings appeared compelling in terms of increased interactivity and lower costs, organizations largely ignored them. Why? Because the RIA market was a confusing...

Continue reading "With AJAX and SOA, RIA is even more compelling and less risky" »

Posted by TomR at 08:11 AM | Permalink

During the Internet boom, there were a variety of software vendors — many now gone, such as Curl and Altio — touting a technology known variously as Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), X Internet applications, and Web apps; New Rowley calls these solutions UI apps. The goal was to replace server-generated Web pages — pages, such as shopping carts, that require a roundtrip to the server for any update — with interactive, desktop-like software. A large...

Continue reading " Next-generation Web app frameworks deliver results" »

Posted by TomR at 01:21 AM | Permalink