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Rich Internet Applications Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are the next generation of Internet applications, melding the best of the web and the best of the desktop to give unrivalled features, performance and flexibility. RIAs free you from the constraints of the web browser while giving you the same ease of access and ease of deployment that is the hallmark of the web. Going beyond the browser and adding a richer user interface RIAs add features and functions that lead to a more flexible and productive working environment. Working your way In a rapidly changing world flexibility is key to business. Sometimes working within the browser is too limiting. RIAs come in many forms and can be adapted to your needs. Whether you need to work on-line or off-line and in the field, whether you need to work with new or with legacy applications, Xoetrope's RIAs can adapt to your needs instead of forcing you to change your working practices.
By taking advantage of the abundant computing power of your desktop, RIAs can deliver excellent performance and instant access to your data. RIAs can deliver the sort of seamless integration with your workhorse application like Word, Outlook and Excel, that browser applications can only dream of. Being Internet applications RIAs can also integrate Web Services just as well as the browser. RIAs can go even further than the browser, adding functionality and integrating smart caching to slash turnaround times.
A better end result The rich user interfaces that RIAs deliver allow you to build highly customized, highly usable applications that aid rapid data access and power business functionality. Combined with better performance and better desktop integration, RIAs deliver a more satisfying end user experience, so why not present a better face to your customers and deliver an RIA.
Where does RIA work best? RIAs are really perfect when used with power user applications, for applications that people use repeatedly and used for critical business functions. RIAs are also excellent where custom features and functionality is required or where you need full control over the user interface. RIAs can also be used for everyday web applications, but for roles or sites that are visited occassionally or even on a one-off basis the advantages are less and you may be better off choosing a pure browser technology. Power user applications or dedicated applications are really the ideal target for RIAs and these applications can take great benefits from the performance and capability offered by a good RIA platform. Killing complexity Xoetrope's RIA solutions are designed to reduce complexity, often the bane of software development. Many of the competing RIA technologies are difficult and complex to use, manage and own. 
XUI helps Xoetrope's XUI framework takes care of much of the plumbing needed to build fast, modern and powerful applications, freeing you up to add real business value. What is XUI? XUI (pronounced zoo'ey)is a Java and XML framework for building RIAs. Using either a NetBeans or Eclipse plug-in you can visually create an application and the content. The plug-in generates the XML (which you can also interactively edit), the event handling, the data binding and data management, and all the configuration needed by the application. You can even generate the XML dynamically and combine this with predefined context for visually appealing results. At runtime a small application stub is deployed, via Java WebStart, CD or other means. Once launched the stub renders the XML as a Swing, AWT or SWT interface and pulls down whatever resources are needed by the application. Your application is a first class Java application and you can use all the normal Java facilities and libraries. Most importantly you can leverage all your existing Java skills and tools for development and debugging, while allowing XUI to take care of the low level plumbing. How does it compare? Like most areas of computing there are more ways than one to build an RIA and there are plenty of buzz words about, so how does XUI compare? Well, most of all XUI helps reduce complexity, taking care of lots of low level stuff and lots of the plumbing. Other technologies like Ajax can really complicate development with its mix of metaphors, roles and techniques. Tooling and infrastructure is also vital when adopting a technology and XUI builds upon the best, with plug-ins for both Eclipse and NetBeans. XUI is also a Java platform, so developers can leverage all their existing skills and knowledge. In contrast to alternative RIA platforms XUI developers will be productive from the get go. Some RIA platforms ride two horses, purporting to offer browser and RIA capability, but don't be fooled by this -many such solutions end up offering a poor end user experience, a lowest common denominator so to speak. XUI in contrast is a highly customizable and highly modular platform, and while you can span platforms, XUI lets you customize almost everything so that you can get the best possible solution out of your chosen delivery platform.
How to get started XUI ships with free and open source development tools for NetBeans and Eclipse. You get started as easily as installing a plugin and running a wizard, just follow the links below. Who's using XUI? There are people and organizations around the globe using XUI, from banks and telecoms companies in Japan to out-sourcing providers in India to Fortune 500 companies in the US. XUI is used in a wide variety of fields from market research to engineering and scientific research and of course in a wide range of business processes. XUI is deployed on all sorts of devices from PDAs to desktops and embedded devices. You will find XUI bundled with many channels, on Linux distributions and embedded in third party projects like Apache OfBiz. What are other's saying? RIA is a hot hot topic at present and there are lots of views and opinions. Try the examples, see the demos and take XUI for a test run and see for yourself, there's no opinion better than your own. If you want to see what others are saying here are some links...
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