2 | Chapter 1: Introduction to the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR)
Early web applications were built primarily with HTML and
JavaScript, which, for the most part, relied heavily on client/
server interactions and page refreshes. This page refresh
model was consistent with the document-based metaphor for
which the browser was originally designed, but provided a
relatively poor user experience when displaying applications.
With the maturation of the Flash Player runtime, however,
and more recently Ajax-type functionality in the browser, it
became possible for developers to begin breaking away from
page-based application flows. Developers began to be able to
offer richer application experiences via the browser. In a
whitepaper from March 2002, Macromedia coined the term
rich Internet application (RIA), to describe these new types
of applications in browsers, which “blend content, applica-
tion logic and communications...to make the Internet more
usable and enjoyable.” These applications provided richer,
more desktop-like experiences, while still retaining the core
cross-platform nature of the Web:
Internet applications are all about reach. The promise of
the web is one of content and applications anywhere,
regardless of the platform or device. Rich clients must
embrace and support all popular desktop operating sys-
tems, as well as the broadest range of emerging device
platforms such as smart phones, PDAs, set-top boxes,
game consoles, and Internet appliances.TIP
You can find the complete whitepaper and more informa-
tion on RIAs at:http://download.macromedia.com/pub/
flash/whitepapers/richclient.pdfThe paper goes on to list some features that define RIAs:
- Provide an efficient, high-performance runtime for exe-
cuting code, content, and communications. - Integrate content, communications, and application
interfaces into a common environment.