Rich Internet applications the next stage of application development

Early Internet applications were written using a classic client/server model, with multiple content pages refreshed for each user action. As users continue to demand more sophisticated and increasingly interactive Internet programming, applications development is evolving to permit more efficient communication between clients and servers. Techniques such as Ajax are being used to promote this new style of Internet programming. Rich Internet Applications (RIA) offer greatly enhanced usability, and allow Internet programs to rival their desktop counterparts for functionality. This paper explores technologies deployed in creating RIA, and considers relative merits and limitations of this new style of application development.