MVI has pioneered the development of Rich Internet Applications utilization on the web we believe that this area will continue to grow and become a prominent portion of our business.

Rich internet applications are web applications that have many of the features and functionality delivered over the web. These applications combine the best of both worlds - the power and rich content of the desktop with the connectivity of the internet. The important differentiator between an RIA and a more traditional website is that an RIA is a true "application" that allows you to perform a task. This task can include customizing a web service, learning new information, in performance of a game, locating products, or mixing information to create. Traditional desktop applications today rely exclusively on client-side processing. When a task is initiated, the local system's resources are leveraged to process the request. In contrast, a web application relies exclusively on the server technology to process a request. With RIA's the load is shared by both client- and server-side tasks. With an HTML web site, when a user fills in data, changes options, or checks boxes, the page must be submitted to the server for data validation and then the screen is reloaded with the new data incorporated.

RIA-Rich Internet Application Tools
RIA System	IDE	ClientTech	Plugin	Rich Media
Adobe Flex 2	VD,TED,P	JS, XML, PDF	PDF	full
AltioLive	VD,TED,P	XML, Applet	JVM	some
DreamFactory	full	XML	no	most
Droplets	3rd party	Java Servlet	JVM	most
Laszlo	basic	Flash, XML	Flash+Lzl	full
Macromedia Central	FlashMx	Flash	Flash+Ctl	full
Macromedia Flex	full	Flash, XML	Flash+MXML	full
Nexaweb AJAX	full	Java+XUL	JVM	most

RIA's offer the best mix of "reach" in application availability and "richness" in their content. Since they are web-based and cross platform, RIA's can run on any system or platform. Their efficiencies in processing at both the client- and server-level allow for the delivery of richer and more interactive content. With RIA's, the data is partially processed by the client, so a full page refresh and return trip to the server are not necessary with every action performed. This means that when users click boxes, fill in forms and modify preferences, the results can be displayed on screen immediately without the data being reloaded. This responsiveness and smooth interaction creates new possibilities in information flow for the user and new methods of information display for clients. Web-enabled applications no longer have to present information in a rigid page-by-page format. The user experience is no longer limited by a client's web browser as the shared interaction between the server and the client delivers vast improvements in usability and productivity over today's web sites.

RIA's offer web site owners many promises from richer content distribution through to increased sales. Even the adopters of RIA technology, those in the riskiest group who embraced the technology in its infancy, have seen return on their investments and hard results from deploying applications.

RIA's introduce several key benefits for clients:

• Richer Content - RIA's offer better support for data presentation than typical HTML applications can. This allows for replacement of numbers and symbols with visual elements and status indicators that can be more easily interpreted by users.
• Improve the Customer Experience - RIA's allow you to convert processes from the limited page model of typical websites and present more information in a single screen. This means fewer clicks for users to find what they are looking for, less waiting time, and fewer opportunities for drop-off or abandonment.
• High Fidelity Content - RIA's allow for the delivery of perfect screen layouts. This means that rich content can be presented with perfect replication in a web-based application.
• Complex Offerings - One of the challenges RIA's solve nicely is the presentation of complex offerings. RIA's allow for users to adapt searches on the fly and immediately see results. This makes sifting through large volumes of data faster and much more efficient.
• Enhanced Interactivity - RIA's make the web more like the desktop and allow for better interactivity and communication between the user and the application. Better support for drag and drop, tool tips, field validation, sort lists, keyboard shortcuts and other elements that have typically been associated with desktop applications means better interaction.
• Increase Responsiveness- RIA applications only refresh the parts of a page that have changed, this means fewer trips to the server and fewer opportunities for errors. In addition, the ability for select data to be pre-fetched from the server helps to reduce the delays that are typical with traditional web interfaces.
• Lower Operational Costs - RIA's are easier to maintain than both traditional desktop applications and websites. Since they are web-based, they provide a more seamless enhancement path for new features, and easier deployment. In addition, the load balance of client and server processing results in fewer server requests and lower bandwidth costs.
• Provide More Control - RIA's allow clients to more easily visualize products, customize offerings, or personalize services. This creates a greater sense of involvement and more control over their interaction and overall experience. While a variety of applications have already been ported over to RIA environments, not all of them have been successful. Just because RIA technology is available, doesn't mean that it's the right solution for every process.