Spry framework : A less cared framework?

I wonder how many Ajax developers know about Adobe Spry? I too feel, I have ignored it for long. Everything apart, lots of question arises about a Ajax framework from Adobe. The reason? Adobe is one of the tough competitor to Ajax. With its Flex and AIR technology to build RIA, they are still ahead in RIA technology. Still in prerelease, Spry offers a way to incorporate XML, JSON or HTML data into pages using HTML, CSS, and a minimal amount of JavaScript. Lets have a look at this framework and unearth its pros and cons.

Spry claims to be "Ajax for Everyone". It provides a set of easy to implement set of widgets, effects and data handlers. The main advantage is each component in the framework can be used independently of one another. So, developers need only to include what they need! Other frameworks have lots of files and folder structure to implement widgets like accordion, tabbed panels etc. The major disadvantage of these hierarchical and dependency oriented frameworks are:

• The framework becomes big and complex.
• To implement a single feature, you require to host the entire framework.
• Implementing a small feature might have a big learning curve.
• Difficult to deploy the framework in a restrictive environment.

Spry framework is the solution to all these plus other advantages. It makes implementing features to the existing web pages very easy. The widgets created into the HTML tags and the framework do not create its own tags. This increases debugging capabilities and readability of the displayed HTML. Dojo toolkit also uses the same methodology to embed widgets. But Spry takes things further to reduce the amount of Java script involved. Advantages does not end here. Each widget is coded independent and developers need to include only the widget files he is going to use. Developer has to use the appropriate CSS and JS files. All he has to do is copy these files to his existing web site folder structure, link them from the page and all the code.

Another advantage with Spry is its ability to work in restrictive environment. Let me explain a restrictive environment. Lets assume I need a accordion in my blog which is hosted on blogger. I am going to host my external java script files in google pages and not any file sharing service available on web; the reason - many corporates blocks these sites and if I host my external files, I am guaranteed of getting my blog messed up for some users. And adding accordion can be made possible by keeping Spry files in google pages and using it in my blog. I will soon demonstrate this feature on my blog.

So why is Spry not so popular? The main reason for this could be Adobe's RIA technology using Flex and AIR. You will also notice that they have not given much UI effects to the widgets in the Spry framework. So, Flex technology itself is shadowing Spry. But Spry can be very helpful when developers need only certain functionality in their web page or application. So if you are an web developer looking to add some features to your pages, have a look at Spry framework!

Should Java developers look at ColdFusion?

Adobe has been on heights with their products for the last one year. Adobe ColdFusion 8 was released this july.It's an application server and software development framework used for the development of computer software in general, and dynamic web sites. Question is, should java web developers look into these technologies? Lets see why and why not choose ColdFusion.

ColdFusion is a similar product to Microsoft's ASP.NET or Java Enterprise Edition. The first version of ColdFusion was released in 1995 by Allaire. In 2001 Allaire was acquired by Macromedia, which was in turn acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005.Interesting part of history is, Microsoft was once interested in acquiring Allaire but,Allaire showed a lack of interest! Initially ColdFusion was completly written in C++ until 2002. The entire application server was rewritten in Java that has resulted in recent Java-based versions being labelled with the "MX" suffix.But in the latest version, this "MX" has been dropped.

Enough of history.. Lets see its features and get into our topics! ColdFusion is available for on Linux, UNIX, Windows, and Mac OS X. But the application server is not a freeware from Abode. You can download a free developer edition and use it. The primary feature of ColdFusion is its associated scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), which resembles HTML in syntax. Other than CFML, ColdFusion supports programming languages such as server-side Actionscript and embedded scripts that can be written in a JavaScript-like language, known as CFScript.

Another great feature is increased productivity using ColdFusion. Like many dynamically typed scripting languages, there is no need to build, deploy, or restart your application server.You simply modify the code and refresh your browser to view your latest changes.What happends behind the scene is that server compiles .cfm pages into Java servlets.However, compilation is done in memory and not to disk.

Next major feature is something which java developers really will like. Developers can make seamless calls to all the built-in Java libraries, as well as those bundled with ColdFusion and any custom APIs of your own.Using CFScript developers to wrap java code and feel home! Integration with other technologies such as CORBA, web services, and COM is quite simple. Developers can also make calls to native methods on Linu,Unix or Windows using CFXes (ColdFusion Extension Tags). Due to these facilities there is no need to import another third-party library. So at the same time, ColdFusion is a big library!

So with these advantages, should Java developers turn and have a look at this technology? According to me, Java and JSP will still stay more powerful and flexible. Even though ColdFusion has productivity, does it give the high performance and reliability? For those who have never (Including me) tried ColdFusion before, its time we try it!

Adobe AIR Application list

AIR applications have started appearing and they are coming up fast. Last week I spotted a IM Messenger built using AIR and is pretty good! Here is a list of AIR applications that I found few minutes ago. Its built in wiki and anybody can add a new application to the list. At present the list is about 78 and I am sure this will grow.

For all the Adobe AIR enthusiast, this list will give you a good collection of AIR applications!

Link to the list : http://airapps.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Well, if you have missed the train, I suggest you check these links out:

Adobe AIR : http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/air/

AIR Resource : http://www.airapps.net/ (You will get all the resource from this site!)

Adobe rolls out Betas

Adobe Systems announced the public beta of Adobe Flex 3, Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) formerly code-named Apollo, Adobe Builder Beta and Flash Player update. With the new Flex and AIR Abode is pushing itself up in the rich Internet applications (RIAs) competition.

Adobe Flex 3 Beta:

The new version of cross platform, free open source framework for creating RIA adds rich new UI capabilities, enhanced developer productivity, desktop deployment and enterprise testing and performance tools. The Flex 3 public beta also marks the first significant deliverable for the open source Flex project, beginning with the availability of nightly builds and a public bug database. Some of the key changes in Flex 3 from its predecessors are:

• Enhancement to designer/developer workflow.
• New Containers (mx:ConstraintRow and mx:ConstraintColumn).
• Code enhancement include: faster compilation, compiler class caching, deeper language intelligence for AS3/MXML/CSS, Code Search, Refactoring, Code Outline, Profiling, Profiling Live Memory Data, Enhanced Module support, and Multiple SDK support.
• New Widgets, Components and Classes.
• Smaller SWF file.

Ted Patrick had a week long blog entries on the new Flex version. Each of the above mentioned features is explained in detail.

Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR):

Apollo Runtime becomes Adobe Integrated Runtime. The cross-operating system runtime was code-named Apollo. It allows developers to use their existing web development skills to build and deploy rich Internet applications to the desktop. Now AIR is set to become a major runtime that all the desktops will have. AIR will also pay a major roll in RIA, mashup softwares and Web 2.0 and beyond.

Adobe Flex Builder 3 Public Beta:

Flex Builder 3 Public Beta is available for download in Adobe Labs. This early public prerelease version begins a new, more transparent product development process from Adobe, with frequent, regular access to early builds and greater insight provided into the feature roadmap and planning process. The Flex Builder 3 beta release will provide you with an opportunity to explore powerful new features. Some of the new major features include:

• Support for the new Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR).
• Code Refactoring.
• Memory and performance profiling.
• SWF file size reduction through persistent framework caching.

You can also view the complete detailed specs for Flex Builder 3.

Flash Player 9 Update 3 Beta 1:

The new Flash player is code-named "FrogStar". It adds support for caching the Flex Framework within the Flash Player. Moving forward the Flex Framework will be cached within the Flash Player dramatically reducing the size of the output SWF files. SWF files will contain only your code and Flex Preloader containing the caching/loading logic. Some of the new capabilities of Flash Player are:

• Flex Framework to be cached for use across domains.
• The Player Cache will support Flex 3.0 and future versions of the Flex Framework.
• Flex Framework now supports Runtime Shared Libraries (RSL's).

Conclusion:

So with these new features, Adobe is trying to capture the market which other Ajax libraries have. The size of SWF has been an issue for some time. I know some of the projects which opted other technologies like Openlazlo and others due to the size of SWF file.

Another important factor is with Sun’s JRE. Unless Sun reduces the size of JRE and make it more portable, its new RIA technology JavaFX will find it difficult to compete. Compared to Sun Micorsystems, Microsoft seems to be making ground with its new Ajax projects and other .Net enhancements.

Adobe's LiveCycle Enterprise Suite

Adobe introduced Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite (ES), an integrated family of software for automating processes that help businesses and governments engage with customers, citizens, partners, and suppliers. LiveCycle integrates the capabilities of Flex with PDF technologies. It will make use of Flash Player and Acrobat Reader to enable a new communication between people inside and outside the organization. This new communication style will enhance the integrity, management of information and improve the business process.

Adobe has recently started to target the content management and collaboration sector of software. LiveCycle is yet another step into these sectors. With LiveCycle ES, organizations can deliver applications that are easier to interact with. This enables companies to better communicate with people who are usually frustrated or confused by on-line procedures for doing transactions. These new applications will decrease costly cycle times, and manage information faster and more accurately.

LiveCycle ES improves how people worldwide interacts each other and access products and services. Organizations can use LiveCycle ES to interact with customers through high-quality; self-service applications that provide quality service and still minimize costs.The major technologies that will help are Flex, Apollo and PDF technology on the client side. The success of Apollo will play a major roll in the coming further.

Adobe to open up Flex

I am bit late for this entry but here it is: Abode has announced its plan to open source Flex and its development. This press release appeared on Abobe's site on April 26th (and I was busy preparing for my final review).

According to Adobe, they are to release ActionScript components from the Flex SDK,Java code for ActionScript and the MXML compiler. The open sourced Flex SDK will be available under Mozilla Public License (MPL).The MPL will allow full and free access to the source code, allowing developers to download, extend, and contribute to the source code for the Flex compiler and framework classes. This show Adobe's commitment to open technology initiatives, including the contribution of source code for the ActionScript Virtual Machine to the Mozilla Foundation under the Tamarin project. At the same time it also show how Adobe is planning to tackle its rivals like Dekoh, Dojo etc which are already open.

Now Microsoft's Silverlight is yet to see the open source light. And I am sure that's not going to happen. Another set back that Silverlight will have is that, the support for linux (Unless mono project take up the task). So... keeping the heat on RIA technology all these products are going to change our internet experience in next 2 year in a big way!

Adobe unveils its media player

Abode is keep their camp rolling! They just unveiled their new product ( the Adobe Media Player ) at National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show. NAB seem to be a happening place with Microsoft launching its Silverlight. The battle is on!

Adobe's Media player seems to be developed in Apollo and will be one of the first Apollo application from Adobe. The player's name is Philo and its download will be available only by mid 2007. It's going to support the Flash format playback for which there is no player from Adobe. It will have both online and offline playback with capabilities for demand streaming, live streaming, progressive download and protected download-and-play.

I am sure, they will provide a excellent user-friendly user interface and will have capabilities to share the media content and will have support for open standards like RSS and SMIL.

Apollo , WPF/E and Dekoh a comparison

Adobe has come up with a innovative cross-OS desktop platform called Apollo and definitely evey innovation is copied,cloned or imitated. That how I see Mircosoft's WPF/E and a new product called Dekoh. Now lets look how all these products are defined by their creators.

Apollo: "Apollo is the code name for a cross-operating system runtime being developed by Adobe that allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills (Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, Ajax) to build and deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) to the desktop.
Apollo enables developers to create applications that combine the benefits of web applications – network and user connectivity, rich media content, ease of development, and broad reach – with the strengths of desktop applications – application interactions, local resource access, personal settings, powerful functionality, and rich interactive experiences."

WPF/E: "“WPF/E” is the Microsoft solution for delivering rich, cross-platform, interactive experiences including animation, graphics, audio, and video for the Web and beyond. Utilizing a subset of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)-based Windows Presentation Foundation technology, “WPF/E” will enable the creation of content and applications that run within multiple browsers and operating systems (Windows and Macintosh) using Web standards for programmability. Consistent with Web architecture, the XAML markup is programmable using JavaScript and works well with ASP.NET AJAX. Broadly available for customers in the first half of 2007, “WPF/E” experiences will require a lightweight browser plug-in made freely available by Microsoft."

Dekoh: "Dekoh Desktop is a cross-OS desktop platform that brings several key J2EE, database and web services modules together, in a compact footprint package ready for end consumer use. Dekoh as a platform enables building a new breed of applications that combine advantages of the web and the PC. Dekoh applications bring rich interface, interaction and functionality using personal media and local devices on the PC. These applications can work even when offline and provide a web 2.0 style sharing and community networking features. "

Here we have three products aiming to bring "web to desktop" or the other way around! Either way, the aim is to increase collaboration, user experience, easy of use which are all properties of Web 2.0. So Web 2.0 is moving to a better way unlike some authors who say "Web 2.0 is over and out!". Looking deeper into these products, its really worth comparing as these are definitely here to stay and change the way we interact with web.

On comparing these products you will see that both Apollo and WPF/E are from software giants, and Dekoh is a new product being born from Pramati. Looking how these software giants perform, we know Microsoft runs the largest share of PC, but at the same time Abode has 97% of penetration for its flash player which its cross-OS platform is based on. So looking at market, these two giants, already have their base built for launching their platform and there are enough developers and customers they can get hold on. In this part Dekoh fails!

We are over with one comparison and that's not enough, lets look and the developer community now. Microsoft has a vast developer community, with its Visual Studio .Net the community's size have definitely increased. Abode on the other hand have been attracting developers to its product by releasing SDKs for its different products like Acrobat to Photoshop. They also devloped ColdFusion which has also caught market share. Pramati Technologies is an end-to-end Enterprise Java platform vendor with a product suite that includes application servers, component development tools, and an extensible web based management framework. But I doesn't have it's own technology. So as such no developer community (other than their employees and closely related developers ).

But but but,.. their is a major point that changes view among these three technologies. We all know both Microsoft and Adobe are money makers! They have their SDKs free for (poor) developers and charge for the commercial versions of all their product. Here is where Dekoh shine! Dekoh is going to be open sourced and open to community( I am presently not sure under which license its going to be released ).

Now lets get technical.. All three have a different approach to the same aim. Microsoft is going to use their .Net XAML along with ASP.NET and Ajax (for sure) as their development path. In case of Apollo, Adobe has its extension of Flex and ActionScript as the main development path, but the developer can make use of HTML,flash and interact with javascript and Ajax. An important point here is both these products have their dedicated development path i.e, XAML of Flex, but Dekoh is going to make use of the existing technologies like DHTML,Ajax,Java,PHP and has support for Flash and Flex. So making use of the exisiting technology like Java and PHP which have a very large development community is one major plus for Dekoh.

Another point of difference is the runtime environments that runs these technology! Definitly Microsoft has released its WPF/E runtime environment for download, it is supported only on Windows and Mac (No Linux in sight and still they call cross-platform?) . Adobe makes use of its flash player technology and has a Apollo runtime (Alpha) ready for download. But Apollo too is only for Windows and Mac, but I am sure Linux Apollo runtime is on its way. Now looking at our new product, Dekoh makes use of Java 1.5 and higher as its runtime environment!!! We all know JRE is having a very strong hold in all sectors of the computer industry and this is going to be a major plus in case of Dekoh.

Coming back to developer community, Java has a very strong community compared to Adobe and even Microsoft (you may disagree). Developers tend to be lazy to study new language as it take time to be an expert. Taking this scenario, Dekoh has another plus to its pocket. But, just using the Java technology is not going to make is successful. Adobe as already been seen hunting java and other web developers to use Flex to overcome the complexity of using vast number of Ajax libraries.

So, with these new technology at you door steps, what are developers going to choose? Which one will rule the Web ? We are yet to find out ;) Have a good weekend!

What is Adobe targeting?

Adobe released alpha version of Apollo (a cross-OS runtime) on 19th March. Since I was keeping close watch on Adobe site, I downloaded Apollo and started playing with it. Both Flex and Apollo have brought great excitement to be because of their UI, easy to work with and FDS (Flex Data Service). So with these new products what was Adobe's long term goals? Are they looking at capturing web from java and ajax?

What I thought was, yes Adobe will steal a big share from ajax in near future. But I got a new vision of what Adobe was targeting today when I was looking for example applications in the Adobe labs. "Adobe LiveCycle Data Services 2.5" is what caught my attention! LiveCycle Data Services 2.5 is the next generation of Flex Data Services. On reading the first paragraph, I first action was to learn more about LiveCycle a server-based software for enterprise automation. So now you can guess what's on Adobe's mind and why they are changing FDS to LCDS!

The main idea is to integrate the Adobe products like LiveCycle, ColdFusion, Breeze and obviously Flex/Apollo to build a enterpise solution set that will help in business process management(BPM) to content management and finally compete with existing technologies like Documentum (java based), SharePoint (Microsoft .Net based), Lotus (from IBM). The major advantage of Flex and Apollo is its interface design and their cross-OS runtime. The sucess of Flex and Apollo is very important for Adobe to compete in the market and take a big bite! But its going to be a tough war because Apollo is going to have security issues due to the FileSystem APIs and how well the developer community is going to accept it. Another mater of concern is Adobe is a money making company. Every product is price tagged and that will effect the view of any developer which Adobe is eying. S0 will Adobe succeed in the new leap? I am sure that they have pumped in lot of money for Apollo. Will it be a sucess and turn other pressure other runtimes like java and .net? Time will tell about this but I am already into studying the new technology!