The web world is becoming more and more demanding. Now, 7 out of 10 projects demand rich internet application (RIA). Since RIAs are bridging the gap between desktop and web applications they have become the topic of talk. RIA has taken web applications to a new level where it is difficult to distinguish web and desktop application interface. The user feels like he is using his desktop application.

The RIA frameworks that has made this possible are Flex, JavaFX, Air, and Curl. At e-Zest we work in all of these technologies. Recently, we have evaluated feasibility of these technologies for the development of rich internet application project.

Here is the brief and crisp finding of our feasibility study.

When it comes to a UI controls Flex, Air and Curl have it built-in. Swing comes to rescue when you want to use JavaFX for UI controls. In Flex and Air you can have your own controls. Eclipse can be used as IDE for all these technologies.

To be able to run your application at client user needs to have plugins and extensions. For Flex you require Flash plugin which is available readily on 90% of browsers relieving user from downloading and installing plugin for application use. JavaFX requires Java plugin with JavaFX extension to run application. For AIR, user requires to download Adobe Integrated Runtime environment to be able to use application in online and offline mode. For CURL a CURL runtime engine is required.

BlazeDS, a free and open source Java solution, can provide higher performing approach to connection Flex applications to back-end services. BlazeDS includes both Flex Remoting, which provides binary, serialized data transport, and Flex messaging services, offering real-time data push.

The JavaFX platform provides an essential set of tools and technologies that enable developers and designers to collaborate, create, and deploy applications with expressive content to browsers and desktops. Mobile application developers can use the JavaFX Mobile Emulator to preview applications for mobile devices using the JavaFX platform.

AIR are actually desktop application using system resources but they have all necessary ingredient to be called as feature rich RIA. AIR is becoming popular for social application extensions. When it comes to business and enterprise solution CURL applications tend to work well as they have excellent data-handling capabilities and good information presentation features. In addition, while Curl isn't as focused on animation and graphics as some other RIA platforms are, it does do a good job when it comes to data analysis and reporting graphics. Since Curl has been around for 10 years, it has a well-established base of users and support, too.

We are still evaluating Eclipse Rich Ajax Platform (RAP). Once we do that we will post about that.

e-Zest Sets Up SharePoint Competency Center
By CXOtoday Staff

Mumbai, May 27, 2009 1116 hrs IST 

Offshore software developer e-Zest, has setup a dedicated Microsoft SharePoint competency center in Pune. e-Zest provides end-to-end consulting for SharePoint Solutions.

Microsoft SharePoint is an integrated suite of server capabilities that can help improve organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management and enterprise search, accelerating shared business processes, and facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight.

Read more here..

Leveraging on its vast SharePoint services experience, e-Zest Solutions setup dedicated Microsoft SharePoint competency center. Over last 5 year, e-Zest Solutions, an offshore software development company delivered successful implementation & customization services.

May 26, 2009 -- Leveraging on its vast SharePoint services experience, e-Zest Solutions setup dedicated Microsoft SharePoint competency center. Over last 5 year, e-Zest Solutions, an offshore software development company delivered successful implementation & customization services.

Amol Pande proclaimed ' e-Zest provides a complete cycle of end-to-end consulting from planning to design to implementation of SharePoint Solutions. e-Zest has a flexible and hybrid development methodology that smoothens the project suppressing any process clash. A decade of experience has provided e-Zest a deeper understanding on project execution and what goes in to make quality deliverable.'

'We have setup this competency center to consolidate our experience & expertise gained while helping our customers to realize value of Microsoft SharePoint Solutions' Said Devendra Deshmukh, Executive Director & Founder.

Microsoft SharePoint is an integrated suite of server capabilities that can help improve organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management and enterprise search, accelerating shared business processes, and facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight. SharePoint Server 2007 supports all intranet, extranet, and Web applications across an enterprise within one integrated platform, instead of relying on separate fragmented systems. In addition to that, SharePoint Server 2007 provides platform and tools needed for server administration, application extensibility, and interoperability.

Ashish Gupta- Director explained 'Microsoft SharePoint 2007 helps organizations get more done by providing a platform for sharing information and working together in teams, communities and people-driven processes. Ushering in a new era of operational platform, this technology will enable a new generation of capabilities for information workers - but without a good partner with the experience and expertise to manage an implementation effectively, the complete potential of SharePoint may not be realized. e-Zest helps you reap all benefits offered by SharePoint 2007 by becoming your strategic partner in SharePoint implementation and customization initiatives.'

About e-Zest:
e-Zest Solutions Ltd. (http://www.e-zest.net) is an ISO 9001:2000 certified offshore software outsourcing company with expertise and focus on outsourced product development/ product engineering solutions and enterprise custom application development. It has special expertise in Web 2.0, SOA and SaaS technologies. e-Zest has served 80+ industry leader clients in four continents for a decade with 150+ software professionals on board. e-Zest offers its services to ISVs/IT services, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, legal, education, sports, HR & travel business verticals with focus on CRM, BI and ERP solutions. e-Zest has dedicated Microsoft & Sun Competency Centers which focus on solutions and services on based Microsoft .NET (2.0/3.0/3.5) and Sun Java EE (2.0/5.0) respectively. e-Zest is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Sun Associate Partner and Oracle partner for BI solutions. e-Zest is also a member of various industry associations like NASSCOM, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and MCCIA. It is a 100% export oriented unit (EOU) registered with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and has two subsidiaries offices viz. e-Zest (UK) Ltd. at London UK and e-Zest Inc. at Walnut Creek CA USA.

Recently, there is substantial surge in usage of mobile internet.  Mobile Internet growth is the growth of the Internet when accessed via a mobile phone, laptop, etc. (Wikipedia) 

Thanks to wide range of new Smartphone’s who are significantly capable to display full websites on small screens than ever before. iPhone & Android stands out more than others. eg. The iPhone OS had 8 percent of the smartphone market, but generated 43 percent of mobile Web requests and 65 percent of HTML usage. Obvious reason is more stable & better internet enabled mobile applications & games. Downloading apps/games & advertised enabled apps contribute substantially to mobile internet usage.

Another interesting contributing factor is rise of social networks sites & their mobile alteregos & apps. More people are using their mobile phones to update their status/profiles remotely and blog on the move. Also better mobile networks & 3G technologies played key role.

Key impacts on mobile & web application development:

• Mobile Internet usage makes mobile phones a media like radio or television. This is giving rise to increase in building mobie advertising applications & platform. New advertising strategies need to develop to address mobile audience.
• Demand for development of location based mobile internet advertising will grow. The key to success will be to incorporate a multimedia and multi-platform approach to ensure that it becomes a natural and valuable extension of the consumer needs.
• Focus on identifying insights into mobile web browsing. Mobile internet analytics are definitely challenging than PC based browsing.  Its going critical to analyze the size and characteristics of your mobile audience compared to your competitors.
• Focus on mobile security application increases as more & more consumers using mobile internet for online transcations & e-payments.
• Focus on improving the user experience of the Web when accessed from mobile devices. Mobile Web Application Best Practices gain importance.

This week an open cloud manifesto has got published with intent of beginning a conversation in the direction of formulating principles for open cloud computing. The companies behind drafting this open cloud manifesto are of an opinion that innovations happening in cloud computing area in terms of standards, interoperability, integration and portability should be guided by the principles of openness.

The manifesto has covered topics like importance and need of cloud computing today and challenges and barriers for its adoption. The cloud computing manifesto has identified goals like availability of choices, flexibility in cloud computing usage, speed and agility to respond quickly to changes and open cloud computing skills. This all should help building a foundation for open standards and architecture for cloud computing.

The initiative is criticized by Microsoft calling it as a secret cloud manifesto. A blog attributed to Steven Martin, senior director of platform product management, has said in its post that the document was asked to sign 'as is' without modification or additional input. Though Microsoft admits that there should be standardization, it feels that it is too early to do that. Amazon supported the initiative and Google is yet to comment on it.

The responses from Microsoft, Amazon and Google will be helpful in guiding the future path for this open cloud manifesto.