Building Rich Internet Applications with JavaScript

When I see the words Rich Internet Application, I tend to think of interactive Flash Movies, java Applets and downloadable clients that interact using proprietary protocols or web services.

Recently Google has released 2 applications that show the capabilities of JavaScript in this space. Gmail and Google Maps both make use of JavaScript in a subtle way to improve the experience of the applications be not requiring page reloads to update the information.

Frameworks like AJAX and JavaScript libraries like providing capabilities reload information without requiring the user to reload the whole page. Here are some Ajax examples.

Other Javascript libraries like those from walterzorn.com enable drawing, drag-and-drop, tracking mouse events, and in screen editing capability.

JavaScript can even be used to make great arcade style games like triglav.

Why did it take this long? Perhaps it has to do with the browser wars; perhaps it has to do with web standards. Whatever the cause, expect to see more JavaScript based rich internet applications.