Twitscoop - Search twitter, see what's hot right now. EyeOS. Ext JS - JavaScript Library. jQuery: The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library. Prototype JavaScript framework: Easy Ajax and DOM manipulation for dynamic web applications. » The coming RIA wars: A roundup of the Web's new face | Enterprise Web 2.0 | ZDNet.com. A host of powerful new methods for rapidly creating compelling browser-based software (aka Rich Internet Applications) have recently come to market, or are rapidly heading there.
While the technique getting the most press by far these days is still Ajax, there are a number of new approaches that are intent on dislocating this often finicky and hard to work with -- though very powerful -- browser software model. The goal? To help us more easily develop the next generation of Web applications that are every bit as good as or better than desktop PC applications. The motivation for all this is simple; most of the world of software is moving to the browser and SaaS -- and therefore the Web and your local Intranet -- despite the browser lacking an innate capability for hosting sophisticated applications. This lack notably includes support for rich media such a video, audio, and 3D graphics. But what do all these technologies bring to the table and which one is the best bet?