Rich Web 2.0 applications will not become mainstream until the next generation of web platforms-By: Nolan Wright
The world of web development is moving away from MVC-based web architectures and towards a client/server model that is probably best described as RIA + SOA, where RIA represents the rich user interface and SOA represents the services that it consumes. There has been a lot of buzz around rich Web 2.0 applications, but they will not become mainstream until the next generation of web platforms emerge - fully integrated platforms that enable RIA + SOA.
State of the Union
Currently, in the standards-based world of HTML, CSS and Javascript, RIA developers have to assemble multiple third-party libraries and frameworks in order to build a rich user interface. This “a la carte” approach to building RIAs places an unnecessary burden on the developer. Instead of focusing on building applications, the developer must spend time finding, integrating, and versioning the various pieces of their RIA development platform. The same holds true on the SOA side; developers are left to figure out how to create services and how to integrate them with their RIA front-ends. Developers need a platform that addresses every aspect of building an application, so that they can focus on doing what they do best – build applications. The question is: what should a next-generation RIA + SOA platform look like? The best place to start is with the activities that are required to build an RIA + SOA-based application. At a high-level these activities include:
1. Design the "look" of the applicationThis is the general appearance of an application. It includes things like: color, fonts, graphics, and a general page layout. Common toolsets: HTML, CSS and images
2. Integrate WidgetsWidgets encapsulate a set of common capabilities within a single component. They typically contain both “look and feel” as well as a set of pre-defined dynamic behaviors. They are a fundamental building block of an RIA.Common toolsets: ExtJS, Dojo, Yahoo YUI and several other small widget projects
3. Add dynamic behavior to the user interfaceCreating dynamic behavior in the user interface involves two things:
Event handling
Document Object Model (DOM) Manipulation
Event handling is the ability to know when a particular event occurs (e.g., a user clicks a button or a service response is received). DOM Manipulation allows you to dynamically change the user interface based on the receipt of an event.Common toolsets: Javascript libraries like JQuery, Prototype, and Scriptaculous
4. Consume servicesConsuming backend services is a key capability of an RIA. It enables the creation of single page user interfaces that exchange application data with services. It also enables a clean separation between the user interface and the service tier. The most common method for interacting with services is Ajax.Common toolsets: Javascript libraries like JQuery and Prototype
5. Create servicesServices provide an interface to data and application business logic. Common toolsets: There are several frameworks available for creating services in your programming language of choice
Now that we have a sense of what is required to build RIA + SOA-based applications, we can take a look at how these activities should be integrated in order to provide the most value to developers. The following sections outline the defining characteristics of a next-generation RIA + SOA platform.
