Where Rich Internet Applications fit into Web 2.0

Even if you get a gag reflex from the term "Web 2.0", it's difficult to overstate how profoundly it has affected the web. It's empowered people to take control of content and helped us all become a little bit more social. When you cut through the buzzwords, the web is a much better place than it was even 2 years ago. Part of that is that the web is now a much better experience thanks to technologies like Ajax and Flash video. It's more interactive, more responsive and feels more human.

The browser, and JavaScript have taken us a very long way, but for the next generation of web applications they fall short. Developers of Web 2.0 applications are going to need more robust development platforms that can provide more interactive experiences in more places. Luckily, it's possible. Flash has gotten a very bad rap over the years because it is associated with intrusive advertisements and time wasting intro movies. But it's come a very long way and a lot of Web 2.0 applications have realized it. The Flash Platform of today gives your Web 2.0 applications more deployment possibilities than ever. A lot of people have already seen the power of Flash widgets to encapsulate data (and brands) in a format that users can embed all over the web. Adobe's Apollo project is going to let you offer desktop versions of your web applications. For your power users, Apollo provides a way to stay with the application at all times, even when they go offline. Used correctly, that is a powerful proposition for any application and a way to extend and enhance Web 2.0. There is also FlashLite for mobile devices and the Flash Platform can be found on the Wii which the team at Finetune used to extend their application to a user base they couldn't have reached otherwise.

Additionally, users are going to expect more and designers are going to be tasked with delivering it. Flash gives designers a boundless playground by which they can create visually appealing, usable and accessible applications. They can control every pixel, every animation and seamlessly incorporate audio and video. Undoubtedly there will be some very bad designs as more people give the Flash Platform a try. But in the hands of an able developer and a creative designer, Flash applications spring to life and help differentiate your application and build a brand. To stand out from the crowded field of entrepreneurs and web startup, you need to grab users' attention and make them want to come back. For the tech crowd, that can often be done by staying in the browser. But as more average users enter the world of Web 2.0, experience and usability take on much greater importance. You can use Flash to build that usable interactivity into your web application and keep users interested and coming back.

So far, Rich Internet Applications have shown off the power of Ajax, and the web has done fantastically. But there's more to the web experience than text and browser DOMs. Users don't live in the world of the browser, and the things that draw them in: video, audible cues, user interface effects; are easy to do with the Flash Platform. By embracing a more powerful platform, you open new doors. You can break out of the browser and also easily take advantage of things like widgets or a desktop application deployed with Apollo. Web 2.0 is evolving, and the technologies that will help build it are here.

This article was authored by Ryan Stewart. Ryan runs a popular blog, "Rich Internet Application Mountaineer". He also writes a blog for ZDNet called, "The Universal Desktop".