RiWAs

(RIA) are Web-based applications that have some characteristics of graphical desktop applications. Built with powerful development tools, RIAs can run faster and be more engaging. They can offer users a better visual experience and more interactivity than traditional browser applications that use only HTML and HTTP. Rich Web-based applications

•Use advanced GUIs

•Use Delta-Communication

•Provide rich user experience

Most of the web-based applications nowadays are RiWAs

Rich Internet applications: The tools

The list of current technologies that can be used to build modern RIAs is long. Here are some of them:

• AJAX

• Adobe flash, Flex and Adobe Integrated Runtime(AIR)

• Microsoft Silverlight

• Curl (an object-oriented language with embedded HTML markup)

• Google Gears

• OpenLaszlo and Webtop

• Oracle WebCenter

Rich GUIs in RiWAs use Delta-Communication to communicate with the server components

•DC happens behind the GUI - Eliminates page refreshes

•DC can process asynchronously - Eliminates page freezing

•DC works faster - Eliminates the work-wait pattern

Delta-Communication

The AJAX technique uses the data-pull mode, and supports both synchronous and asynchronous modes by API. Through experiments we have noted that the DC technique implemented by AJAX is the simplest form of the DC. Furthermore, the underlying concept used to implement the AJAX technique can be developed in other environments – like desktop applications – using other TTs like WS or C#, even without JS and/or XHR object. We have successfully developed and tested the technique using C#.Net, to develop a desktop application component, which communicates with server components using data-pull DC, asynchronously. Moreover, the same DC technique is utilized in other advanced DC technologies like WS, for the data-pull mode.

Simple-Pull-Delta-Communication (SPDC) can be seen as the simplest form of DC

•Used in AJAX

•Single XHR request to the server

•Client-side: Native JS support

•Server-side: special technology is not needed

Synchronous and asynchronous transmissions are two different methods of transmission synchronization. Synchronous transmissions are synchronized by an external clock, while asynchronous transmissions are synchronized by special signals along the transmission medium.

Different types of technologies and techniques available

Technological advances happen every day, and business owners such as yourself feel pressured to keep up with the latest technology or risk losing your competitive edge. In business, technological innovation can take many forms, including computerization and automation of necessary systems and processes. Although new technologies can be exciting and alluring, a business owner should be familiar with both the pros and cons of innovation.

JS Based SPDC

Aligning to the definition of the SPDC, we can look at the AJAX technique as a JS implementation of the SPDC, which is limited to the browser based applications. We find that the term AJAX expresses some flaws, and it is outdated with regards to the latest API version of the XHR object. Due to the evolution of the XHR object, the technical scope of the AJAX had been expanded in terms of both XML and

Asynchronous aspects.

In W3C’s first draft of the XHR object, the result from the

server for a client request was accepted – as the name of the

XHR object implies – in XML [22]. However, according to

the latest draft, the XHR object supports various data types,

such as plain-text, XML, JSON, Blob [7].

Furthermore, the XHR object has the ability to develop the

rich communication not only in asynchronous mode, but also

in synchronous mode, since the XHR API contains a setting

to configure the synchronous/asynchronous mode. However,

even using the asynchronous setting of the XHR object, still

AJAX features can be developed and presented to the users to

perform DC in synchronous manner, and the mode of the DC

is determined by the way the feature is designed. In later rich

communication development technologies like WS, a similar

setting is not included, and the developers are given the

flexibility to determine, in which mode the DC should be

developed.

Based on these facts, considering the outdated and limited

impression of the term “AJAX”, we propose the term

“JavaScript-based Simple Pull Delta-Communication”

(JS-SPCD), in place of the term “AJAX”. The term JS-SPCS

indicates that it utilizes the SPDC technique, and developed

using JS.