I confirm that this technology is very interesting and successful. I am not agree when someone tells me that Adobe has managed to do what Sun failed to do with Java client side. Indeed with Applet all this is possible for a long time. Apple had already made this choice with WebObjects Java Client with a customized NeXT library in Swing.
It is true that Sun had failed to make a plug lightweight and easy to install, take time to have a really powerful and multi-platform graphics library (Java 6) and have tools for graphic design. Although Java is expected to improve the JVM (J6u10), and a tool for JavaFX should come out, I think it is a little late for Sun.
However OS interaction with Actionscript and FlashPlayer is not possible, and in Java it is with JNI. Typically if I need to make a card reader on my Web application with Flex is currently impossible and all applications which want this need using applet. Zinc has overcome this problem, but only for desktop applications. For the RIA everything depends on the Flash Player, which for the moment remains the property of Adobe (change?).
Adobe has advantages but for which there is the equivalent in the competition:
- Actionscript is powerful script language and RIA optimized, but Sun invent JavaFX and Microsoft goes even further with the CLR and allows you to use any language
- MXML: defining XML UI is one of my hobbyhorse, there are different solutions in Java and I will let you read my blog to know them and XAML is a great competitor.
- Support, documentation, community: no better or worse than competitors, although the literature is very rich
- Open source : it’s a disadvantage but they are improving. For my part I understand, because they would not have the place they are today if they had chosen this way
- An invisible code: obfuscation is possible in JS now
- AIR: Microsoft also knows how to do (remember that Silverlight is a subset of WPF), JS side with GWT initiatives are underway (UFaceKit), and there are already auto UI generation systems for different target (eg: WidgetServer). AIR remains very ergonomic.
- Internationalisation (multi-lingual): has nothing to envy this exists with all RIA technos
However what makes Adobe advance in the field of RIA is mainly:
- Design tools powerful and easy to use that generate really beautiful screen
- Integration with design tools where Adobe is the first editor
I think that Adobe has not yet fully integrated the needs of the enterprise application. Although the object approach began to be (with Caingorm and PureMVC) and the databinding is fully implemented, the management of the data model is not yet polished (AS mapping, lazy loading relations, …). But given the expansion of the community and particularly with developers from the data-centric applications that should improve and Adobe continue to maintain a leading position in the RIA.
