Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions
(1) What is AJAX?
(2) Why all the buzz about AJAX and why should I care?
(3) How will visitors know to use drag & drop and other non-intuitive features?
(4) Will the initial page load time be fast enough for those without hi-speed?
(5) What's the best option - Flash, AJAX, XAML, standard Java applets, SVG...?
(6) If I use Flash, will target users have the Flash player installed on their PC?
(7) We're driving heavy data to this application. Will it handle it?
(8) Can my staff maintain and upgrade this application themselves?
(9) Some of my staff already has Flash skills. Should we still outsource?
(10) Will my Rich Internet application be as secure as my browser?
Answers
(1) What is AJAX?
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is web software. Among other things it hooks your computer into a web-based application and makes it feel like you’re running an application right on your PC.
(2) Why all the buzz about AJAX and why should I care?
AJAX, like Flash, changes the way we use the web. It’s now easier to “do” things instead of just read things. These two technologies have already revolutionized the internet with fast single-screen apps like Google Maps.
(3) How will visitors know to use drag and drop and other non-intuitive features?
Easy. With rich media video and animation capabilities, creating directive and guided help is done quickly and easily. Very soon we'll all be as used to dragging and dropping on website as we are on our desktop anyway.
(4) Will the initial page load time be fast enough for those without hi-speed?
Yes. By replacing the browser with a Flash client, the notion of a “page” no longer exists. The manner in which data is transported to the client and how the client buffers and displays it is controllable at the most granular byte level. This allows for tremendous flexibility in loading entire “pages”, components thereof or even just loading raw data into a “page” that is already being viewed.
(5) What's the best option - Flash, AJAX, XAML, standard Java applets...?
Not an easy answer. Every situation is different and new technologies are advancing by the day. That's why it's important that your development shop or internal staff be tapped very closely into the industry.
(6) If I use Flash, will my target user have the Flash player already installed on his/her PC?
With 98% certainty. For those 2% of PC's without a Flash player installed, the load time is minimal even on shared dial-up connections.
(7) We're driving heavy data to this application. Will it handle it?
Yes, in most cases it will. This is a common misconception based on pre-2001 views of Flash. Flash is a binary-based format that in most cases can render content comparable to an html equivalent in half the byte size.
(8) Can my staff maintain and upgrade this application themselves?
Yes, if they so choose. We have used a mentoring / co-development process on many of our bigger applications for exactly that reason. As one of the most qualified Rich Internet training shops in Canada , we often certify clients as part of the development process.
(9) Some of my staff already have great Flash design skills. Should we still outsource?
Yes. Design skills are very unique from the required application development skills required for data-driven flash apps. We have developed a number of our own proprietary components and practices over our years of development.
(10) Will my Rich Internet application be as secure as my browser?
Yes. Rich Internet applications use the same Secure Socket Layer and Secure Socket Protocol as your browser. Security is, therefore, exactly the same.