6 of the Best Free Linux Rich Internet Application Frameworks

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A rich internet application is a web application that resembles a desktop application in many ways, but is delivered by a browser, virtual machine or from a browser plug-in. The most popular platforms for rich internet applications are Adobe Flash, and Java.

There are a number of benefits of delivering business software through the web, such as easier administration and simplified accessibility. Traditionally, web applications often had limited functionality, composed of static pages, and were typically more complicated to develop than desktop applications.

However, rich internet application frameworks make the art of developing highly interactive web applications to be a much more pleasant experience. These frameworks are a set of languages and tools which enable developers to create rich user interfaces for web applications. Programmers can deploy web applications that actually behave like desktop applications. This is achieved by a group of interrelated web development techniques which enable the client-side to create interactive applications. They also have other advantages, such as removing the need for users to deal with software updates.

Linux has a wide selection of rich internet application frameworks available, enabling developers to create web applications for a full range of different formats and platforms, such as Ajax, Adobe AIR, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Android, Microsoft Silverlight, Javascript, and DHTML.

To provide an insight into the quality of software available for Linux, we have compiled a list of 6 powerful rich internet application frameworks. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone interested in developing rich user interfaces.

Now, let’s explore the 6 rich internet application frameworks at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, screenshots, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.

Rich Internet Application Frameworks
Google Web ToolkitBuild and optimize complex browser-based applications
ZKLeading Ajax and Mobile Java framework
Apache FlexSoftware development kit
OpenLaszloOpenLaszlo server and the LZX programming language
VaadinJava framework for building modern web applications
Mono MoonlightOpen source implementation of Microsoft's Silverlight
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