Monday, October 11, 2004

davidtemkin.com: Coming soon: Laszlo (presentation server optional)

davidtemkin.com: Coming soon: Laszlo (presentation server optional) "Once you decide you're making a server rather than a compiler to deliver rich applications, there are all kinds of features you can contemplate that could not be delivered via (say) an LZX->SWF standalone compiler. Real-time data push, transcoding, and server-based data connectors and filters are examples of this. But in fact the core value of an RIA platform for most applications lies in the programming model (markup language, client app framework). Were it not for (1) the deficiencies of the Flash 5 Player, and (2) the low perceived value of compilers and runtime libraries, it would have been possible to package most of Laszlo's functionality without the need for a runtime server.
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With Laszlo's new business model built on top of an open-source platform, we are now in a position to make the presentation server an optional component of a Laszlo deployment. Sometime over the next few months, we'll release a build that allows you to compile LZX files on a developer's machine, and post the resulting SWF to a Web server. The SWF in the browser will communicate with XML and media sources directly, with no intervening presentation (proxy) server. For many Laszlo applications, this will mean no need to install Java on the server, no need to deal with new servlets or test presentation server scalability.
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We're expecting that serverless deployment, coupled with open source, will go a long way toward making it easier to deploy rich Internet applications, particularly at high scale. And it's yet another reason to select Laszlo as a platform, compared to the presentation-server-required competition."

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