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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
AJAX and RIA Technology Will Be Free for All: Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz adds "Java's Always Been a RIA Platform"
'Java's always been a RIA platform - before the world really wanted one,' claimed Sun's CEO Jonathan Schwartz recently, as he reflected on the reinvention of the Java platform as represented by JavaFX. 'What's a rich internet application?' Schwartz wrote. 'It depends on your perspective,' he continued, adding 'From mine, it's any network connected application that persists in front of a user, typically outside a browser, that can operate when disconnected from the network.'Writing in his popular industry blog, Schwartz gave a little of the background to Java's origins:
"Early Java applets delivered interactivity, but at the expense of development complexity and, in the early days, performance - when a browser, and more recently JavaScript, would suffice.But browser based applications are hitting complexity and performance limits, and content owners are striving for higher levels of engagement (via high definition video, or advanced interactivity). Developers are demanding something new - the browser's a wonderfully accessible programming model, but it's a weak deployment model for rich/disconnected applications." Schwartz also noted how, in his view, an unspoken driver of RIA is also business model evolution - "many companies behind rich applications are seeking independence from browsers and search engines, whose default settings and corporate parents present a competitive threat."
"There's a growing appetite for locally installed applications that build rich, direct and permanent engagement with consumers. No one wants to pay a toll to meet their own customers," he added.
In Sun's view RIA developers want to reach every consumer on earth, and on every device, because the market is in front of consumers - no matter what screen they may be using.
Second, according to Schwartz, "RIA developers want performance, functionality AND simplicity."
And third, enterprises want to reuse their existing Java skills and assets in moving to RIA, he added. Fourth, they want free and open platforms, and lastly, "the real value in Web 2.0 is the data - not the app. And that data is YOURS."
Schwartz ended by discussing what the success of JavaFX is worth to Sun:
"By definition, it's worth more to Sun than the adoption of someone else's platform (known as "positive option value") - and the proprietary infrastructure used to serve it (don't forget, RIAs have rich internet back-ends (RIBs?). And in the RIA world, all the options are going to be priced at free, anyways - this isn't a contest to be won on price.From where I sit, the platform likely to win will be the one that sets developers free - to pursue markets, opportunities and customer experiences as they define them, not as vendors define them. Now, setting developers free - that's where we can excel. It's in the DNA of everything we do.For developers, learn more at JavaFX.com. And be sure to check out NetBeans - like Java itself, it's starting to rock the free world... "
"Early Java applets delivered interactivity, but at the expense of development complexity and, in the early days, performance - when a browser, and more recently JavaScript, would suffice.But browser based applications are hitting complexity and performance limits, and content owners are striving for higher levels of engagement (via high definition video, or advanced interactivity). Developers are demanding something new - the browser's a wonderfully accessible programming model, but it's a weak deployment model for rich/disconnected applications." Schwartz also noted how, in his view, an unspoken driver of RIA is also business model evolution - "many companies behind rich applications are seeking independence from browsers and search engines, whose default settings and corporate parents present a competitive threat."
"There's a growing appetite for locally installed applications that build rich, direct and permanent engagement with consumers. No one wants to pay a toll to meet their own customers," he added.
In Sun's view RIA developers want to reach every consumer on earth, and on every device, because the market is in front of consumers - no matter what screen they may be using.
Second, according to Schwartz, "RIA developers want performance, functionality AND simplicity."
And third, enterprises want to reuse their existing Java skills and assets in moving to RIA, he added. Fourth, they want free and open platforms, and lastly, "the real value in Web 2.0 is the data - not the app. And that data is YOURS."
Schwartz ended by discussing what the success of JavaFX is worth to Sun:
"By definition, it's worth more to Sun than the adoption of someone else's platform (known as "positive option value") - and the proprietary infrastructure used to serve it (don't forget, RIAs have rich internet back-ends (RIBs?). And in the RIA world, all the options are going to be priced at free, anyways - this isn't a contest to be won on price.From where I sit, the platform likely to win will be the one that sets developers free - to pursue markets, opportunities and customer experiences as they define them, not as vendors define them. Now, setting developers free - that's where we can excel. It's in the DNA of everything we do.For developers, learn more at JavaFX.com. And be sure to check out NetBeans - like Java itself, it's starting to rock the free world... "
Monday, July 7, 2008
Your Java Programming Questions(by BruceEckel)
This post is copied from Bruce Eckel's mindview.net website.If anyone has questions about java programming can send your questions to the site links given below
The following qouted text is written by Bruce Eckel itself
" I am terribly swamped with email and am unable to answer programming questions. If you are having code installation problems, please follow the instructions here.
There are several people who have kindly offered to answer Java questions that you would normally send to me. So please send all questions to:"
Sun has a "New To Java" Programming Information Center to help get you started.
Bill Venners, who teaches with me, has created the Java Answers Forum. He said: "I wanted to create a place where programmers could ask and answer each other questions, where the questions and answers would remain indefinitely and be searchable."
The forums at TechInterviews have many people asking and answering Java questions.
IBM DeveloperWorks contains some nice introductory material.Robert Hurd has created
Code Collection, An
Internet technology help web site to assist Java programmers. You can send
programming questions to
rhurd@codecollection.com. -->
Kathy Kozel has created http://www.javaranch.com/ for the same reason. You can send programming questions to kathykozel@javaranch.com
Marcus Green maintains the Java Certification Exam Discussion Forum
Another page about certification www.levteck.com.
Raymond Blum is available to answer Java questions. He has several years experience in Java and other O-O languages and is currently consulting as an OO mentor and Java instructor. You can send him questions at raytrace@thebyteboard.com
David Reilly has a web site devoted to answering Java questions, which seems well-targeted to beginners. You can go directly to his FAQ.
JFind keeps a list of answers and snippets.
The JavaFAQ specializes in Java questions and answers, including Java Daily Tips, many online Java books, a weekly newsletter, and they provide a free "Java Tips" e-book.
Charles Bell says he will be happy to try to answer questions; he also has a web site at http://www.quantumhyperspace.com.
jGuru.com http://www.jguru.com maintains a set of community-driven, topical FAQs where developers can pose questions or answer those already posed.
Kevin Brown has created an egroup "For those who are working through and would like to discuss the book."
Here's another study group for TIJ: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JavaThink/.
For JSP (Java Server Pages) questions, JSPInsider claims to have "a refreshing take on JSP." JSPInsider is based upon a group of developers sharing information to help the JSP community make the most out of JSP. They also have a newsletter.
From a bulletin from Sun: "HotDispatch, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. are helping to bring people together in a real-time marketplace for Java technology support ... [if] you like the idea of getting technical help at competitive prices, visit: http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/support/Hotdispatch/"
Dr. Heinz Max Kabutz publishes an Advanced Java newsletter. Not for the uninitiated, but I find something fascinating in every issue. To subscribe, either send an email here or do it via the web here. He has back issues here.
Programmer's Heaven provides a Java Message Board for Q & A.
The following qouted text is written by Bruce Eckel itself
" I am terribly swamped with email and am unable to answer programming questions. If you are having code installation problems, please follow the instructions here.
There are several people who have kindly offered to answer Java questions that you would normally send to me. So please send all questions to:"
Sun has a "New To Java" Programming Information Center to help get you started.
Bill Venners, who teaches with me, has created the Java Answers Forum. He said: "I wanted to create a place where programmers could ask and answer each other questions, where the questions and answers would remain indefinitely and be searchable."
The forums at TechInterviews have many people asking and answering Java questions.
IBM DeveloperWorks contains some nice introductory material.Robert Hurd has created
Code Collection, An
Internet technology help web site to assist Java programmers. You can send
programming questions to
rhurd@codecollection.com. -->
Kathy Kozel has created http://www.javaranch.com/ for the same reason. You can send programming questions to kathykozel@javaranch.com
Marcus Green maintains the Java Certification Exam Discussion Forum
Another page about certification www.levteck.com.
Raymond Blum is available to answer Java questions. He has several years experience in Java and other O-O languages and is currently consulting as an OO mentor and Java instructor. You can send him questions at raytrace@thebyteboard.com
David Reilly has a web site devoted to answering Java questions, which seems well-targeted to beginners. You can go directly to his FAQ.
JFind keeps a list of answers and snippets.
The JavaFAQ specializes in Java questions and answers, including Java Daily Tips, many online Java books, a weekly newsletter, and they provide a free "Java Tips" e-book.
Charles Bell says he will be happy to try to answer questions; he also has a web site at http://www.quantumhyperspace.com.
jGuru.com http://www.jguru.com maintains a set of community-driven, topical FAQs where developers can pose questions or answer those already posed.
Kevin Brown has created an egroup "For those who are working through and would like to discuss the book."
Here's another study group for TIJ: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JavaThink/.
For JSP (Java Server Pages) questions, JSPInsider claims to have "a refreshing take on JSP." JSPInsider is based upon a group of developers sharing information to help the JSP community make the most out of JSP. They also have a newsletter.
From a bulletin from Sun: "HotDispatch, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. are helping to bring people together in a real-time marketplace for Java technology support ... [if] you like the idea of getting technical help at competitive prices, visit: http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/support/Hotdispatch/"
Dr. Heinz Max Kabutz publishes an Advanced Java newsletter. Not for the uninitiated, but I find something fascinating in every issue. To subscribe, either send an email here or do it via the web here. He has back issues here.
Programmer's Heaven provides a Java Message Board for Q & A.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)