RIA platforms lend apps more Flash - Macromedia Flex and Laszlo Presentation Server bring new tricks to Internet application delivery.(rich internet applications)

Building effective applications -- ones that can be distributed and run smoothly over the Internet -- requires circumventing the shortcomings inherent in static Web browser delivery. Many companies are turning to RIAs (rich Internet applications) to achieve that goal.

Two updated products, Macromedia Flex 1.5 and Laszlo Presentation Server 2.2, offer RIA platforms with a delivery model involving server-side proxies for data aggregation and the Macromedia Flash run time as a desktop thin client.

These Flash applications request and receive data via the server but manage the presentation layer and processing logic locally. The interaction feels like a desktop application, runs in a browser, and, after the initial application is loaded, requires only a minimum amount of data transfer to update the local display. The process reduces the number of round-trip page refreshes required to accomplish a task using browser-based HTML delivery.

The Flex and LPS (Laszlo Presentation Server) platforms have a distinct advantage over other RIA vendors in that Flash run time has broad market penetration and acceptance, making it a trustworthy delivery model for consumer-side applications.

Further, your UIs get a usability upgrade thanks to the glitzy Flash animation. With effects now accessible programmatically, there's …