Post on 22-Jan-2023
MarketScope for Ajax Technology and RIA Platforms
Gartner RAS Core Research Note G00164266, Ray Valdes, 29 December 2008, R2984 02032010
Despite having appeared as early as 1999, Ajax technologies and rich Internet application platforms are still in a dynamic and early adopter phase of market evolution, with respect to enterprise-level adoption.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Ajaxisasmuchknow-howandtechniqueasitisatechnology.Itisawayofbuildingapplicationsthatleveragethecapabilitiesalreadybuiltintoeverymodernbrowser.
• RichInternetapplication(RIA)technologycanbeastand-aloneplatformthatisusuallyintegratedwithexistingapplicationdevelopmentplatforms,oranextensiontoanexistingserver-centricplatform.
• Ajaxispervasiveintheconsumerspaceofpublic,high-endWebsites,butitsadoptioninastrategicmannerbytheenterprisesectorisstilllow,limitedtothemosttechnologicallyaggressiveearlyadopterorganizations.
• Mostenterprisesarenotearlyadopters,andremaininthewait-and-seestage,holdingoffuntiltechnologiesmatureanduntiltheirpreferredlargeITvendor(beitMicrosoft,IBM,Oracle,SAPorSunMicrosystems)deliversatechnologythatis“digestible”(thatis,abletobeabsorbedbythecurrentITstaff,skillsetandtechnologyenvironment).
• SuccessinAjaxandRIAdeploymentsdependsmoreonauser-centereddesign/developmentprocessthanonthechoiceoftechnology.
MARKETSCOPEThis document was revised on 24 February 2008. For more information, see the Corrections page on gartner.com.
Defining the Ajax and RIA MarketTheAjax/RIAsector,broadlyspeaking,isasetoftechnologyofferingsorientedtomeetingtheneedsofapplicationdevelopmentteamstobuildsystemsthatdeliverarichandresponsiveuserexperience.Thefocusofbuyersinthismarketisontechnology,despiteGartner’slong-standingadvicethatsuccessinpresentation-orienteddevelopmentprojectsresultsmorefromauser-centereddesignprocessthanfromaddinganewlayeroftechnology.IntheAjax/RIAsector,thefocusofbuyersisnotjusttechnology,buttechnologythatisdifferentfromtheserver-centricplatformstowhichtheyareaccustomed.Theneed,asperceivedbyprospectivebuyersinthismarket,isoftennotpreciselyarticulated,butisgenerallyforatool,technologyorplatformthatdeliversa“better”userexperience.Inthiscontext,“better”referstoanexperiencethatisvisiblydifferentthanwhat’sproducedbytheexistingplatforms,whichhaveresultedinlegacyapplicationsthatareperceivedtobedrabanddifficulttouse.
2Whatthetypicalorganizationseekstoreplaceisalegacyplatform—eitherclient/server(suchasPowerBuilder,VisualBasicorOracleForms)orWeb(plainHTMLwith“islandsofinteractivity”basedonFlash,JavaorActiveX).Unfortunately,alltoooften,addingnewtechnologytoanorganizationthathasadysfunctionalprocessresultsinadegraded,ratherthanimproved,userexperience.Theeventualresultisoftennotknown,becausehavinganimmatureprocessmeansthatappropriatemetricsarenotcollected.Therefore,theorganizationcannotdeterminewhetherthereisanimprovementintheeffectivenessoftheuserexperience.Thecasecanbemadethatorganizationswouldgetbetterresultsbyfocusingonabetterdesignprocessoronmore-effectiveuseofthepresentationcapabilitiesalreadyincludedinmainstreamserver-sideplatforms,whichhaveevolvedtoincludeAjaxandRIAfeatures.Thatisbeyondthescopeofthisresearch,whichfocusesonanemerging,butcohesive,setofbuyersandsellersthatcomprisestheAjax/RIAmarket.
Asischaracteristicofanyemergingmarkets,thereareoftendiversegroupsofplayersandapproaches,andplentyof“applesvs.oranges”comparisonspossiblebecauseofalackofconsensusonfeaturesandapproaches.TheargumenthasbeenmadebysomevendorswithproductsinthisspacethatthenotionofacohesiveAjax/RIAmarketisanillusion,andthatthisisnotamarketanymorethanthereisanHTMLmarketoranXMLmarket.Thepropositionisthatallofthese(HTML,XML,AjaxandRIAtechnologies)areenablingtechnologiesforoneormoredistinctmarkets.
Althoughthisperspectivehasacertainvalidity,GartnerhaschosentodoaMarketScopeinthisarea,becausethissituationmeetstwokeyaspectsofamarket:
• Acommunityofbuyersthatiswillingandabletobuy,andthatmayreferenceeachother(or,alternatively,third-partyadvisors)inmakingabuyingdecision
• Acommunityofsellersthatcompeteswitheachotherforbuyers’attentionandcommitment
Themarketisatthestagewherethereisahighdegreeoffragmentationanddiversity.Notallsellerscompetewitheachother,andnotallbuyershaveidenticalneeds.Nevertheless,Gartnerhasreceivedenoughinquiriesforguidanceinproduct/technologyselection,andhasseenenoughcompetitiveface-offs(suchasAdobeFlexvs.MicrosoftSilverlight,orBackbasevs.NexawebTechnologies,orIBMLotusExpeditorvs.JavaFX,orAdobeAIRvs.MicrosoftWindowsPresentationFoundation[WPF]and.NET),thatthebroadoutlinesofthemarketarevisible.Withinthismarketaresegments,suchasthefissurebetweenenterpriseRIAandconsumer-orientedAjax.Butthisfragmentationisnodifferentthaninotherearlystagemarkets(forexample,theportalmarket,where,initially,vendorswerestronginexternal-facingorinternal-facingdeployments,butnotboth).Althoughtherearefissuresinthemarketlandscape,thereareenoughcross-categorycompetitiveface-offs(suchasaRIAplatformvs.anAjaxtechnology)thatthemarketcanbeconsideredascohesiveasanyotherearlystagemarket.
Asthemarketmaturesandconsolidates,asmallnumberoflargevendorswillgrowevenlargerbyencompassingbroad-basedapproaches,acquiringsmallervendorsand/ortakingmarketshareawayfromsecond-tierchoices.Asthathappens,thefaultlinesthatfragmenttheAjax/RIAsectorwillfade.
Market/Market Segment DescriptionTheAjax/RIAsectorcanbesegmentedintwoways:intermsofbuyersandintermsofsellers.
Lookingatthemarketintermsofbuyers,thefollowingcategoriesemerge:
• Enterprise legacy platform replacement:Enterprisesseekingapresentation-centricdevelopmentplatformandtoolsetthatwillreplaceagingorobsoletelegacyapplicationsbuiltwithearliergenerationsoftools,suchasOracleForms,PowerBuilderandVisualBasic.Theneedsofthisclassofbuyercenterondeveloperproductivity,platformcompatibility,skillscompatibility,vendorsupportandvendorlongevity.
• Public-facing enterprise sites:ThesesitesrepresenttheexternalWebpresenceforGlobal1000organizations.Theneedforthisclassofbuyerisforbroadreachtoamassaudience.Thisisbestachievedthroughbrowser-independentimplementations,server-neutralclient-sidetechnologies,asmallclientfootprint,easyupdateandsoon.Beyondthesecorerequirements,therearealsotheenterpriserequirementslistedabove,
• Stand-alone, consumer-oriented Web sites: Thetop100Websitesandsmallerstand-aloneWebpropertiesthataspiretobethenextFacebookorGoogle.Buyersinthisclasshavestrongtechnicalstaff,andmanyhavebuilttheirownAjaxframeworksandRIAtools.Theirneedsareforbroadreachandbrowserindependence,similartohigh-endenterprisesites.Akeydifferenceistheneedforcompatibilitywithserver-sideframeworks—oftenneither.NETnorJava,butinsteadLAMP-basedPHP,PythonorRuby(noneofwhichareprevalentinenterprise-scaledeployments).
• Independent software vendor (ISV) differentiators:ISVshavefollowedthetechnologyshiftinthe1990sfromclient/servertotheWeb,andarenowseekingtodifferentiatetheirofferingsfromsimilarWeb-basedcompetitors.Comparedwiththeaverageenterprise,thebuyersintheISVclasshavestrongin-houseengineeringstaffandmatureuser-experiencedesignteamsandprocesses.ThesebuyerscanmoreeasilyabsorbandexploitAjaxandRIAtechnologyofferings,whetheropen-sourceAjaxorbroad-scopeRIAplatforms.
Tomeettheneedsofthesedifferentmarketsegmentsorclassesofbuyers,thereisadiversecollectionofsellers:technologyvendors,quasivendorsandopen-sourcetoolkits(notaffiliatedwithaconventionalvendor).Theofferingsareasfollows:
• Community-oriented, open-source Ajax toolkits: Thesenoncommercial,freeandopen-sourcetoolkitsincludeDojo,Prototype/ScriptaculousandjQuery.Theyhaveseenwide
©2008Gartner,Inc.and/oritsAffiliates.AllRightsReserved.Reproductionanddistributionofthispublicationinanyformwithoutpriorwrittenpermissionisforbidden.Theinformationcontainedhereinhasbeenobtainedfromsourcesbelievedtobereliable.Gartnerdisclaimsallwarrantiesastotheaccuracy,completenessoradequacyofsuchinformation.AlthoughGartner’sresearchmaydiscusslegalissuesrelatedtotheinformationtechnologybusiness,Gartnerdoesnotprovidelegaladviceorservicesanditsresearchshouldnotbeconstruedorusedassuch.Gartnershallhavenoliabilityforerrors,omissionsorinadequaciesintheinformationcontainedhereinorforinterpretationsthereof.Theopinionsexpressedhereinaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.
3adoption,primarilyoutsidetheenterprise(withasignificantminorityofthetop100Websitesnowusingoneormoreofthese,oftenasasupplementtocustom-builtAjax).
• Vendor-centered, open-source Ajax and RIA technologies: Open-sourcetoolkitsaffiliatedwithasmallcommercialvendor(suchasExt,BindowsorLaszloSystems).Thevendorisusuallytargetingtheenterprisesectorbecausethetop100Websitesrelyoncustom-builttechnologiesoropensource.
• Commercial Ajax and RIA product offerings: Thesestartedoutasclosed-sourcepackagestargetedtowardtheenterprisemarket.Theyoftenstillremainthatway,butsomehavesincebecomeopensource,atleastinpart.TibcoGeneralInterface(GI)isaprimeexample;Laszloisoneoftheearliest.Adobeisamorerecententrant,inthatithasopen-sourceditsFlexSDK(butnotitsFlexBuildertool).Microsofthasopen-sourceditsAjaxlibraryandSilverlightToolkit.
• Broad-scope RIA platform plays: OfferingsfromAdobe,Microsoft,IBM,Sun,andtoalesserextent,Nexaweb,SoftwareAGandTibcoSoftware.Theseenterprise-orientedvendorsofferindustrial-strengthplatformsandtoolsthatgobeyondbasicAjaxcapability.MarketadoptionofRIAframeworkshasbeenlowduetotheemergingstageofmarketevolution,aswellas,insomecases,totheimmaturityofthetechnology.
• Nonproduct offerings from commercial vendors: Technologypackagesfromcommercialvendorsthatarereleasedasopen-sourceorfreesoftware,notasaproduct(andnoplanstoproductize)—suchasAdobeSpry,YahooUserInterface(YUI),GoogleWebToolkit(GWT),andMicrosoftAjaxLibrary(formerlycodenamed“Atlas”).
• Collections of visual components morphing into frameworks: Thesecomefromagroupofsmall,butlong-lived,vendorsofaftermarketcomponents.Offeringsmaybedeliveredwithsourcecode,butthelicensesarenotopensource.VendorsincludeInfragistics,DevExpress,ComponentArt,DundasDataVisualization,ComponentOne,SoftwareFXandothers.Thesevendorsofferamixofhorizontalinfrastructureenhancements(add-oncomponentsforWPFandJava),stand-aloneframeworks(competingdirectlywithAjaxandRIAframeworks)andverticalmicroproducts(geographicinformationsystem[GIS]andchartingcomponents).
Inclusion and Exclusion CriteriaAMarketScopeisintendedtoaddresstheneedsofGartnercustomersinevaluatingproductofferingsandvendorrelationshipsinanearlytomidstagemarket.Amarket,asstatedearlier,isacommunityofbuyersandsellers.Animplicationoftheterm“community”isthatmanyoftheparticipants(althoughbynomeansalloftheparticipants,orevennecessarilyamajority)areawareofeachother,andoftenusethatknowledgeinformulatingbuy-sidedecisions,aswellassell-sidecompetitivestrategies.Theaspectsofamarket,therefore,includebuyers,sellers,decisions,informationaboutproductsandservices,and,ultimately,transactionsthathaveaneconomicaspect(whereeconomicvalueisusedinthebroadestsenseofanincentive,rewardormediumofexchange).
Marketsthathaveasignificantmixofopen-sourceofferingsfunctionnotjustthroughthemechanismofmonetaryexchange,
butalsothroughtheeconomicsofrecognition,trustandnonmonetaryincentives.
BecauseofthemixofAjaxandRIAproductsandtechnologies,thisMarketScopeincludesmanyofferingsthatarenotcommercialproducts,sotherearealternativeinclusioncriteriathatreflecttherealityofmarketdecisionsthatprospectiveorganizationsarechoosingfromamong:
• RIAplatforms,suchasAdobeFlash/Flex,MicrosoftSilverlightorIBMExpeditor
• FreenonproductofferingsfromcommercialWebgiants,suchasGWT,YUI,MicrosoftAjaxLibraryorAdobeSpry
• Community-based,open-sourcepackages,suchasjQueryorPrototype
• Vendor-centric,opensource,suchasExt
• CommercialproductsfromRIAspecialistvendors,suchasBackbaseorNexaweb
Thecriteriamustbeamixoftraditionalandnontraditionalattributes,whichinclude:
• Revenue: AjaxorRIA-relatedannualrevenueofatleast $5million
• Geographic presence: Officesinmorethanoneregion,suchasNorthAmerica,AsiaorEurope
• Vendor presence:Stabilityandlongevity
• Market acceptance:Inoneormoreofthefollowingsectors:top100Websites,Global1000companies,Web2.0startupventures,ISVsandsystemintegrators
• Ecosystem activity: Asevidencedbymarketplaces,aftermarketofferings,communityforums,books,seminars,andpartnerandchannelactivity(ITservicesfirms,systemintegrators,distributors,Webinteractiveagenciesandadvisoryfirms)
• Gartner client interest:IndicatorsofinterestbyGartnerend-userclientsincludethenumberofinquiriestoanalystsviatheGartnercallcenteroratGartnerconferencesviaone-on-ones
Thesecriteriaallow“applesandoranges”tobeincluded,suchascommercialproductsfromenterprise-orientedvendors,aswellasnonproductofferingsandcommunity-basedopensource.TheMarketScope,therefore,includespackagessuchas:
• Backbase,whichisacompanywithmorethan$10millioninrevenue,marketacceptanceinenterprisedeploymentsandpartners
• jQuery,whichisacommunity-basedopensourceinusebythetop100Websites,andthesubjectoftechnicalbooksavailableinmainstreambookstores
• InfragisticsandMagicSoftware,whichareenterprise-orientedvendorswithmorethan10yearsinthemarket,andaboutwhichGartnerclientshavepostedinquiries
Theinclusioncriteriawereanalyzedinaspreadsheetwithadozenattributes—suchasvendorstrength(RIA-relatedrevenue,vendorlongevityandpartners),marketshare(amongenterprises,ISVs,high-endWebsitesandWeb2.0ventures),andproductattributes(Gartnerclientinterest,productfeaturesandecosystemactivity).
4Pointswereallottedbasedonstrengthintheseattributes,andvendorsorofferingsthatexceededacompositethresholdvaluewereincluded.
Therearenumerousvendorsthatdidnotmeettheinclusionrankingthreshold.AppendixAprovidesacomprehensivelistofvendorsinthisspace.ExamplesofvendorsandofferingsthatarenotincludedinthisMarketScopeanalysisincludeBindows,jMaki,SoftwareFX,Dundas,AJS,Echo2andMooTools.
Rating for Overall Market/Market SegmentOverall Market Rating: PromisingAlthoughthemarkethasbeenaroundsincethefirstcommercialproductswereintroducedin2002and2003,itisstillintherelativelyearlystagesofevolution,especiallywithregardtothemarketsegmentrelatingtoenterpriseRIAplatforms.ThisenterpriseRIAsegmentisakeyaspectofthisMarketScopebecauseitisofprimaryinteresttoGartnerclients,andbecauseithasstrongeconomicimplicationsthatwilldrivetherestofthemarketovertime.
Therefore,itisimportanttounderstandwhatismeantby“enterpriseRIAplatformmarketsegment.”Akeyaspectofdefiningthissegmentistheideaof“significantplatformcommitment”—asopposedtopilotprojectsor“oneofakind”tacticalprojects.Tacticalprojectsaremuchmorenumerousthanthestrategicplatformcommitments.
Themarkethasgonethroughvariousphases,whichGartneridentifiesasfollows:
• 1998 through 2002 (embryonic phase):Demonstrationsoftechnology,suchasDesktop.com,butnocommercialproducts
• 2002 through 2004 (nascent phase):Ahandfulofproductsintroducedbypioneeringvendors,suchasBackbase,GeneralInterface,JackBe,LaszloSystemsandMacromedia
• 2004 through 2008 (the early adopter phase),whichcanbebrokendownfurther:
• 2004through2006—The“YearofAjax”(whichturnsouttobeabout24monthsinlength),inwhichmorethan100open-sourcetoolkitsproliferate
• 2007through2008—The“YearofAdobeFlex”(about18monthsinlength),inwhichFlexgainsdominantshareamongearlyadoptersintheenterpriseRIAsegment
• 2009 through 2012 (the early majority phase):EnterprisesmakestrategiccommitmentstoAjaxandRIAtechnologies,mostlythroughextensionstoserver-sideplatforms,suchas.NET,Java,LAMPandcloud-basedplatforms
GartnerestimatesthatthemajorityofGlobal1000companieshaveexperimentedwithAjaxorRIAtechnologies,frommorethanonevendor.TheseincludetechnologiessuchasAjaxontheonehand,andWPFontheother,andAdobeFlexandMicrosoftSilverlightinthemiddle.Thereareabout150ormorevendorsandtoolkitscoveringthebroadspectrumoftechnologychoices,whichrangefromlightweightAjaxtoextended-browser(Flash,JavaandSilverlight)tooutside-the-browser(AIR,WPF,ExpeditorandJavaFX).However,intermsofmarketadoption,veryfew
organizationshavemadeastrategicplatformcommitment.Notethataplatformcommitmentdoesnothavetobeanenterprisewidemonoculture;itjusthastogobeyondasingleisolatedproject.Mostlargeenterpriseshavemorethanoneplatforminplace(thatis,bothJavaEEand.NET),evenfornonlegacyprojects.Alsonotethatthedepthoftechnologyusecanvarywithinanimplementation,fromasuperficial“coatofAjaxpaint”tobone-deep,rip-and-replacewithRIA.
AMarketScopeisalensintendedtoprovideasclearaviewaspossibleofamarketlandscapetothe“average”Gartnerclient.However,thenatureofthetaskissuchthat,totheextentthatanorganizationdiffersfromthenorm,thelenswillrepresentadistortedview(oralternatively,onecansaythateachorganizationneedsitsownlevelofastigmaticcorrectiontoreflectitspriorities).Morespecifically,anorganizationthatisheavilyalignedwithonevendororanotherwillviewthemarketthroughalensthatisMicrosoft-centric,IBM-centricorOracle-centric,andsoon.Gartnerhasobservedthat,inpractice,largeorganizationstendtohavemultiplevendoralignments,despitenominalallegiancetooneprimaryvendor.
AsecondchallengeinthisprocessisthattheMarketScopelensisfocusedonvendors,notonproducts.Forthecaseofsmallervendors,thevendor-centricviewalignsperfectlywithaperspectivecenteredonproducts.However,largervendorsoffermorethanoneproduct.Microsoftistheextremeexamplehere,withmanysignificantchoicesofproductsandtechnologiesthatrelatetothepresentationaspectsofanapplication:fromWPFtoASP.NETAjaxtoSilverlight,plusahalf-dozenotherchoices.Adobealsohasmultipleofferings,rangingfromopen-sourceSprytoFlextoAIR.Othervendors,suchasOracleandIBM,areinasimilarsituation.TherearealsovendorsthatstartedoutwithAjaxorRIAofferingsbuthavesinceshiftedmarketemphasistosomeotherproductcategory(forexample,JackBeandLaszlo),butstillmarkettheiroriginalproducts.
ThisMarketScopeonlyhassingleentriesforeachvendor.Inthecaseofmultipleproducts,theevaluationaggregatestheproductmix,andgivesproportionatelygreateremphasistothepackagethatisofcoreinteresttoGartnerclientsthatareend-userorganizations.
GartnerclientsthatareaccustomedtoMagicQuadrants(andnotMarketScopes)shouldnotethatMarketScopespresentresultsinacoarse-grained,one-dimensionalranking(Level1throughLevel5,whicharelabeledStrongNegative,Caution,Promising,PositiveandStrongPositive).Thisisdifferentthanthehigh-resolution,two-dimensionalpositioninginaMagicQuadrant.TheMarketScopelabelsmaynotcapturethenuanceofavendor’sranking,includingtheimportantnotionofdirectionalmovement.Toillustrate,twohypotheticalvendorsrankedatthemidpointinthescale(Level3)bothcarrythelabelPromising,butinonecase,thevendorhasdeclinedfromLevel5,andtheotherhasascendedfromLevel1.Also,thecoarse-grainedladderconsistsofonlyfivesteps,whichmightobscurethefactthatavendornearthetopofonelevelmayhavemoreincommonwithvendorsatthenextlevelthanwithlower-rankedvendorsinthesamelevel,duetotruncating,high-resolutionnumericalanalysistofitlow-resolution“buckets.”Therefore,itisimportanttoconsiderallaspectsofavendor’sevaluation:
5• Thewrittendescriptionandanalysisofeachvendor
• Thebulleteditemslistingpositiveandnegativeattributes
• Therankinglevel
Evaluation Criteria
Table 1. Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Product/Service
Offering(Product)Strategy
OverallViability(BusinessUnit,Financial,Strategy,Organization)
SalesExecution/Pricing
MarketResponsivenessandTrackRecord
MarketUnderstanding
Comment
Coregoodsandservicesofferedbythevendorthatcompetein/servethedefinedmarket.Thisincludescurrentproduct/servicecapabilities,quality,featuresetsandskills,whetherofferednativelyorthroughOEMagreements/partnerships.
Thevendor’sapproachtoproductdevelopmentanddeliverythatemphasizesdifferentiation,functionality,methodologyandfeaturesetsastheymaptocurrentandfuturerequirements.
Viabilityincludesanassessmentoftheoverallorganization’sfinancialhealth,thefinancialandpracticalsuccessofthebusinessunit,andthelikelihoodthattheindividualbusinessunitwillcontinueinvestingintheproduct,willcontinueofferingtheproductandwilladvancethestateoftheartwithintheorganization’sportfolioofproducts.
Thevendor’scapabilitiesinallpresalesactivitiesandthestructurethatsupportsthem.Thisincludesdealmanagement,pricingandnegotiation,presalessupportandtheoveralleffectivenessofthesaleschannel.
Abilitytorespond,changedirection,beflexibleandachievecompetitivesuccessasopportunitiesdevelop,competitorsact,customerneedsevolveandmarketdynamicschange.Thiscriterionalsoconsidersthevendor’shistoryofresponsiveness.
Resonancewiththemarketinkeysegments,suchasenterprise,top100Websites,Web2.0venturesandISVs,aswellasecosystemactivityandmarketinterest.
Source:Gartner
Weighting
high
standard
standard
low
standard
high
6Underthecategoryof“marketunderstanding”aresomesubordinatecriteria,whichareoutlinedinTable2.
Evaluation Criteria
MarketAdoption
EcosystemActivity
MarketInterest
TechnologyArchitectureandRoadMap
Comment
Marketpresenceandmarkettractioninkeysegments,suchasenterprisesectors,top100Websites,Web2.0startupventuresandISVs
Developercommunity,resourcesforsupportandtraining,marketplacesforgoodsandservices,bookspublishedbymainstreamtradepress,blogcommentaryandsoon
InquiriespostedtoGartnerbyend-userorganizations,referencesandpositioningbycompetitors
DirectionshouldalignwithGartner’sviewofevolvingmarketrequirements,includingareassuchasdeclarativespecificationoflayoutandbehavior,coderefactoringandmaintenancetools,designer/developerworkflow,integrationwithserver-sideplatforms,interoperabilitywithtoolsandplatforms,andsoon
Source:Gartner
Weighting
High
High
Standard
Standard
Table 2. Additional Evaluation Criteria
Figure 1. MarketScope for Ajax Technology and RIA Platforms
Source:Gartner(December2008)
7Vendor Product/Service Analysis
AdobeAdobehasmultiplepresentation-relatedtechnologies,toolsandplatformsthatGartnerclientsconsiderandevaluate,includingAdobeFlash(whichcanbeusedbyitselfandunderliesAdobe’sFlexplatform),AdobeSpry(lightweightopen-sourceAjaxtoolkit),AdobeFlex(inside-the-browserRIAbuiltonaFlashplatform),AdobeAIR(outside-the-browserRIAthatalsoleveragesFlash),aswellascomplementaryserver-sidetechnologies(suchasLiveCycleDataServices).Adobe’sratinginthisMarketScopeincorporatesallofthesetovaryingdegrees,butlargelycentersonthecoreFlexproductline.
BasedinSanJose,CA,with$3.5billioninrevenueand6,000employees,Adobeisbestknownforitsproducts(AdobePhotoshop,Acrobat,PremiereandIllustrator)thatfocusontheneedsofcreativeandmultimediaprofessionals.AdobeacquiredMacromediain2005,andincorporateditsflagshipproductsandtechnologies(suchasFlash,DreamweaverandFlex)intotheAdobeline.AdobeFlex,releasedinitiallyin2004,representstheevolutionoftheFlashplatformintotheenterpriseandISVsector.Flex3isthethirdgenerationofthisRIAplatform,releasedinFebruary2008,alongwithAdobe’soutside-the-browsertechnologyknownasAIR.AdobehasannouncedthatFlex4(codenamed“Gumbo”),nowinbeta,isscheduledforreleasein2009.
Positives
• Adobe’sFlexproductlineismodern(newtechnology),aswellasmature(ithasatrackrecordofsuccessfuldeploymentsinenterprises,publicsitesandISVproductofferings).
• Adobeisnottoosmall(thatis,it’snotvulnerabletodownturnsinasingleproductline),butnottoolarge(it’sstillagileenoughtomeetdynamicmarketrequirements).
• Thetechnologyisnottooheavy(itstillfitsinsideabrowser,withasmallfootprint),butnottoolight(itismorepowerfulthanAjax).
• Adobehasdominantmarketshareintheemergingcategoryofenterprise-orientedRIAframeworks,aswellasastrongpresenceamongtheISVandtop100Websectors.PartnershipswithISVsincludelargepowerhousevendors,suchasSAP,aswellassmaller,moreverticallyfocusedvendors.
• Adobe’stechnologyislargelyindependentofserver-sideplatforms(thisaspectcanalsobeanegative,dependingonthecontext).
• AdobehasarecognizedbrandnameandagoodreputationintheWebanddesignfields(althoughnotsomuchinenterprise-classsoftware).
Negatives
• AlthoughAdobeisnotasmallvendor,itissmallerincapitalization,resourcesandchannelsthanWebgiants(suchasGoogle)andITgiants(suchasMicrosoft,IBM,OracleandSAP).Itis,therefore,vulnerabletodirectcompetitionandpossibleacquisition.
• Adobetechnologyislargelyserver-independent,whichisanegativeforsomeorganizationsthatwantahomogeneousplatform(thatis,amoretightlyintegratedblendofserverandclient-sidetechnology).ThereissufficientaffinitywiththeJavaplatform,however,whichtempersthisnegativeinthatcontext.
• DespitebroadmarketacceptanceforAdobeflagshipproductsandtechnologies(suchasAdobeReaderandFlash),thecompanylacksasignificantmarketpresencein“bigIT”(thatis,centralizedITinfrastructures).
• AlthoughFlashispervasive,andFlexleveragesstandardssuchasJavaScript(thestandardizedversionknownasECMAScript),enterprisedeveloperswithskillsintheaggregateFlexandFlashplatformarenotnumerous.
Rating: Strong Positive
BackbaseBackbaseisoneofthepioneeringvendorsinthecommercialAjaxsector,foundedin2003.Thecompanyhas,overtheyears,evolvedamatureandpowerfulAjaxframeworkthatincludesalibraryofclient-sidecontrols,avisualdevelopmenttoolandserver-sideintegration.Ontopofthis,Backbaseoffersadd-onproductsforportal-centricsolutions,richWebformsandcollaborativescenarios.Thecompany’smarketingemphasisisonexternal-facingscenarios,suchasself-serviceande-commerceWebsitesthatneedtohaveabroadreachandahighuserexperienceimpact.
Positives
• Backbasehasawell-designed,full-featured,closed-sourceproductrangetargetedfortheenterprisesectorandforpublicsites(onlineself-serviceande-commerce).
• It’sasmall,agilevendorthatunderstandsthemarket.
• Backbasehasachievedacertaintrackrecordandmarketpenetrationintheenterprisesector,aswellasamongpublicsites,comparedwithotherclosed-sourcealternatives.
Negatives
• Backbase’scommercialproductisatadisadvantageincertainscenarioswhencompetingwithfree,open-sourcecommoditypackages,especiallythosewithcommercialsupportavailable.
• It’sasmallvendorwithlimitedresourcesandlimitedbrandrecognition.
Rating: Positive
CurlFoundedin1998inCambridge,MA,CurlwasacquiredbyJapan-basedSumishoComputerSystems.TheCurlRIAplatformwasreleasedin2002,andhasbeenmarketedmostlyinJapan,until2007whentheRIAproductwaslaunchedinNorthAmerica.Thetechnologyapproachwasinitiallybasedonabrowserplug-inforthecompany’sLisp-likeproprietarylanguageandframework(analogoustoAdobeFlash,SunJava,andMicrosoftSilverlightbrowserplug-ins).Earlyin2008,thecompanyannouncedCurlNitro—anoutside-the-browserRIAplatformanalogoustoAdobeAIR,SunJavaFXandMicrosoftWPF.Curlapplicationscanbecompiledtothenativehardware,andcanthencommunicatewithabrowserviaplug-inordirectlytonativewindows.Theclient-sideruntimeiscross-platform(Windows,MacandLinux).Itsupportssecureaccesstoclient-sidedataandWebserviceprotocolsforserver-sidedataaccess,aswellasofflineoperation.CurlapplicationsarewritteninaLisp-likelanguage,enhancedwithHTMLpresentationandobject-orientedstructure.Curloffersa
8stand-aloneintegrateddevelopmentenvironmentandaplug-infortheEclipsedeveloperenvironment.
Positives
• CurlgoesbeyondthelimitationsofAjaxthroughabrowserextensionanddesktop-basedruntime.
• ItleveragesthepowerfulanddynamicLisp-likelanguage.
• Curlisasubsidiaryofamajorvendor.
• It’sdeployedin400enterprises.
Negatives
• CurlhaslittlemarketpenetrationoutsidetheJapanesemarket.
• Thecompany’sproprietarylanguageandenvironmentarebarriersfortheaveragedeveloper.
• Curlhaslimitedvisibility,ascomparedwithlargeplayers,suchasMicrosoft,Adobe,IBM,OracleandSun.
Rating: Promising
DevExpressDevExpresswasfoundedin1998toservetheBorlandDelphiandC++aftermarket.IthassincebecomeakeyplayerinaclusterofaftermarketvendorsthatsellvisualandbusinesscomponentsforMicrosoft-relatedpresentationplatforms,suchasWPF,ASP.NETandWindowsForms.DevExpresscompetesdirectlywithInfragistics(avendorthatisalsocoveredinthisMarketScope),aswellaswithothervendorsinthismarketniche(suchasComponentOne,Dundas,Telerik,Janus,SoftwareFX,Xceed,DataDynamics,SharpLibrary,ComponentArt,DivElements,SpringSourceandSyncFusion).ManyofthesecompaniesplayacomplementaryroletotheirhostplatformsbyfillinginthegapsinthecontrolsetsforSilverlight,WindowsFormsandothers.
DevExpressdifferentiatesitselffromcompetitorsinthatitprovidesXAF,whichisacross-platformapplicationframeworkthatcantargetWindowsFormsandASP.NET(andinthefutureWPF),aswellasCodeRush,anIDEproductivityandcoderefactoringtoolthatimprovesdeveloperefficiencyinsideMicrosoft’sVisualStudio.AlthoughXAFcompeteswithMicrosoft,thebulkoftheproductlineiscomplementary—DevExpressisintheprocessofportingitsentirerangeofbusinesspresentationcontrolstotheSilverlightplatform,includingitsRichTextEditoranduserinterfacelayoutandmanagementcomponent.
Positives
• DevExpresshasasolidlineofcomponents,andaframeworkthatallowsdeveloperstodevelopbrowser-basedandoutside-the-browserapplications.
• ItisasmallvendorthathassurvivedforalongtimeintheshadowofMicrosoft.
• DevExpresshasaloyalcustomerbasethatadoptscomponentproductsonatacticalbasis.
Negatives
• DevExpressisasmallcompanyinacrowdedaftermarketsector,anditsframework-levelproductnowcompetesmoredirectlywithMicrosoft.
• Customersviewthecompany’sproductsastacticalandcomplementary,ratherthanstrategicandself-contained.
Rating: Promising
DojoDojoisapioneerinthecategoryofcommunity-based,open-sourceAjaxtoolkits.Itwascreatedin2004byacollectionofindividualsassociatedwithInformatica,JotSpotandRenkoo.ThetoolkitisavailableunderaBerkeleySoftwareDistribution(BSD)oranAFLlicense,andisthemostinfluentialAjaxpackage,byvirtueofitsearlyentranceintothesector,thecommunitythatrosearoundit,andbythesupportofmajorvendorssuchasIBM.Oracle,BEASystems(whenitwasindependent),SunandLaszloSystems.
TheDojotoolkitnowconsistsofalayeredportfoliooftechnologies,startingwitha26-kilobytecorethatprovidesaneventmodelandobjectmodel,andfacilitiesforanimation,communicationanddebugging.OnthiscoreisDijit,acomponentframeworkandlibraryofusercontrols(menus,treesandcalendars).LastlyisDojoX,anextensibilitymechanismthatsupportsserverpush(Comet),offlinemode(GoogleGears),aunifiedvectordrawingmodelandthird-partyextensions(suchasdojo.EfromNexaweb).TheDojoportfolioincludessupportforaccessibility,internationalizationandsomeperformancemanagementcapabilities.
Dojo’smostdirect“competitors”areotherleadingcommunity-based,open-sourcepackages,suchasPrototype/Scriptaculous,jQueryandYUI.AnimportantdifferentiatorforDojoisitspackagesystemandbuildtools,whichsupportlarge-scaleteams(asinenterprisedevelopmentprojects)buildingvoluminouscodebasesovertime.
Positives
• Dojohasanearlyposition,astronginfluenceandhighvisibilityinthecategoryofopen-sourceAjax.
• Supportfrommajorvendors,includingIBMandOracle,isaplusforDojo,andthecompanyisacorporatewidestandardatIBM,supportedacross30products.
• Dojo’searlyadoptionamongandgoodtrackrecordwithsomemajorsites,suchasAOLMailandMapQuest,aswellasamongsomeWeb2.0ventures,arepositives.
• Dojo’spackagesystemenablescodebasestoscaleinsize.
• DojoFoundationalsosupportsotherprojects,suchasCometd,OpenRecordandDirectWebRemoting(DWR).
Negatives
• AnearlyperceptionamongsomedevelopersthatDojo0.4wasundocumented,complexandslowstilllingers,despiterefactoringandoptimizationinversion1.2.
• Thereisnosinglevendorthatisstrategicallycommittedtothesuccessofthisproject(anattributethatcanalsobeviewedasapositive).However,IBMisastrategicplayerthatcansustainDojoduringtheshorttermandmidterm.
• Thereisaperceptionofslowedmomentumrelativetonewertoolkits(suchasjQueryandMooTools).
Rating: Positive
9ExtExtJSisaJavaScriptlibrarythatbeganasanextensiontoYUItoolkitandwasinitiallynamedYUI-Ext,thensimplyExt,andnowExtJS.TheauthorofExtJS,JackSlocum,ischiefarchitectatthecompany—acommercialventurefoundedin2006aroundthisJavaScriptlibrary.ThepackageisavailableunderacommerciallicenseorundertheGPLv.3license.Thepackagehasseenstronggrowthinadoptionsinceitsreleasein2006,andhasmadeinroadsintheenterprisesector.TheExtJSsitehascloseto60,000registeredmembers(whichhasroughlydoubledduringthepastsixmonths),andthecompanysaysithas6,000customers.ExtrecentlyintroducedExtGWT,aseparateproductthataddsontothecapabilitiesinGWT.
Positives
• Ext’slibraryhasagoodreputationforthequalityofitswidgets,whichwereinitiallyasupplementtoYUI,butarenowself-containedandcanoptionallyinteroperatewithotherAjaxframeworks.
• Extisacommercialvendorwithawarenessofenterpriseneedsandanapplicationlifecyclethatisgainingvisibilityandmarkettractionintheenterprisesector.
Negatives
• Extisasmallvendorcompetingwithcommoditizedopen-sourcetoolkitsthathavethrivingcommunities.
• Thusfar,adoptionismostlycenteredontheenterprisesector(whichcanalsobeviewedasapositive).
• Thecompanyhasbeencriticizedformultiplechangestoitslicense,fromBSDtoGNULesserGeneralPublicLicense(LGPL)tomodifiedLGPLtoGNUGeneralPublicLicense,version3(GPL3),whichsomeobserversthinkistoorestrictiveandresultsinunwanted“viral”effect.However,thereareenterprisesthatwon’tchooseopensourceinanyform,andinsteadpreferacommerciallicense.
Rating: Promising
GoogleGoogleisoneoftheWeb’slargestandbest-knowncompanies,withmorethan20,000employeesand$20billioninannualrevenue.IntheAjax/RIAspace,GoogleoffersGoogleWebToolkit(GWT)—atoolintendedtoleveragetheskillsofserver-sideJavaprogrammerswhodon’tknowJavaScript(averydifferentlanguagethanJava).DeveloperswritecodeinJava,whichgetstranslatedbythesystemtoJavaScriptforclient-sidedeployment.GooglehasbuiltsophisticatedtechnologytoallowdeveloperstodebugandprofileattheJavasourcelevel,withouthavingtodescendtoinspectingmachine-generatedJavaScriptcode.GWTismostlyserver-andIDE-neutral,allowingJavadeveloperstoworkwiththeirfavoriteintegrateddevelopmentenvironment.GWTdoesnotleverageuserinterfacelibraries,suchasSwing,StandardWidgetToolkit(SWT)orJavaServerFaces(JSF).
Positives
• Thisisawell-craftedAjaxtoolkitfortheJava-centricdeveloper.
• ItleveragestheGooglebrandandecosystem,aswellasperceivedvendorstabilityandlongevity.
• TheGoogletoolkithasmaturedinscopeandpowersinceitsreleasein2006.
Negatives
• Thecompany’sJavafocusisneutral(notcompelling)toWeb2.0developers.
• GoogleitselfdoesnotuseGWTformajorproducts(Maps,MailandApps),partlybecausetheypredateGWT,andalsobecausetheyarewritteninnon-Javalanguages.
• TheGooglebrandispositive,butnotcompelling,toenterprisedevelopers.
• GWTsidestepsmajortrendsintheJavaplatform,suchasJSF.
Rating: Promising
IBMIBM,alongwithMicrosoft,isoneofthelargestandmostinfluentialvendorsinthebroadITsector.LikeMicrosoft,IBMhasbeenprojectingamarketingmessageforyearsaroundtheconceptof“richclient”or“smartclient.”LikeMicrosoft,IBMhasarangeofpresentation-relatedtechnologiesandplatforms,althoughthechoices,aspackagedfortheAjax/RIAbuyer,arenotasnumerousasthosefromMicrosoft.IBMwasanearlyforcebehindAjax,DojoandtheOpenAjaxalliance.Likewise,IBMhasadoptedAjaxtechniquesinitsWebSphereportalandWebSphereCommerceServer(usingDojoandOpenLaszlo),andinmanyotherproducts.Thecasecanbemadethatnoothercompanyispromoting,deliveringandexploitingAjaxtechnologyotherthanIBM,whichhasmadeextensiveuseofthistechnologyinmultipleproductlines.However,usingthetechnologywithinaproductisdifferentthanpackagingandsellingthetechnologyinawaythatmeetsAjax/RIAbuyers’expectationsandrequirements.AlthoughIBMisusingDojoinawidespreadandstrategicmanner,intermsofthemarketofAjax/RIAbuyers,theperceptionofastronglinkagebetweenDojoandIBMisnotwidespread,anditappearsthatmostearlyadoptersofDojoasadevelopmenttooluseitdirectly,ratherthanthroughintermediaries.WithregardtoIBMdevelopertools,thesehavebecomeAjax/RIA-enabledaswell,sothatNotesdevelopersandWebSpheredeveloperscanenhancetheuserexperienceofexistingandnewapplications,includingmashups.
IBM’sstrategicRIAplatformisLotusExpeditor,whichisa“fullstack,”outside-the-browserenvironmentbasedontheEclipseRichClientPlatform(RCP),alongwithadditionalcapabilitiesforofflinestorage(scaleddownDB2relationaldatabasemanagementsystem[RDMS]),systemmanagement,provisioningandothers.Allthesecapabilitiesadduptoa200Mbfootprint,whichcanbecompared(albeitinapples-to-orangesfashion)withAjaxtoolkits(includingIBM-backedDojo)thatare20Kbinsize.
LotusExpeditor’smaincompetitorsareoutside-the-browsertechnologiesfromMicrosoft(WPF)andAdobe(AIR).Allthesedesktop-environmentofferingshavebeenburdenedbytheperceptionofcost(hardwareresourceutilization)andcomplexity—althoughAdobeAIRhasgainedmoremarkettractionthantheothers.AllhaveseenslowmarketuptakerelativetothemeteoricgrowthinlightweightAjaxtechnologies,andthemoremodest,butstillstrong,growthinmiddlewareinside-the-browserapproaches,suchasAdobeFlex.
10Positives
• IBMhashistoricallybeenamajorforcebehindAjaxingeneralandDojoinparticular,andmakesextensiveuseofAjaxandRIAinitsproductlines,includingitsserver-centricdeveloperplatforms.Theseleavethecompanywell-positionedifandwhenthemarketevolvestoaperspectivethatvaluescomprehensive,server-centricapproaches(whichGartnerexpectstooccurasmainstreamcohortsadopt).
• ExpeditorisapowerfulRIAframeworkwithcomprehensivesubsystemstosupportenterprise-scaleinitiatives.
• ExpeditorleveragesEclipse(widelyuseddevelopertool)andJava(dominantenterpriselanguageandplatform),andallowsinteroperabilitywithAjax.
• EclipseisusedasthetechnologyfoundationfortherevampedLotusNotesclient,whichcanresultinsynergyandacceleratedmaturityofthetechnology.
• AlthoughExpeditorisalateentrantinthecompetitivearena,IBMhasatrackrecordofprevailingovertimethroughpersistentinvestmentandthroughalignmentwithpartners.
Negatives
• IBM’ssuccessinusingDojoandincorporatingAjaxtechnologyintotoolsisnotthesameassellingRIAplatformstobuyersintheAjax/RIAmarket.
• The“fullstack”approachusedinExpeditormeansalargefootprintandacomplexenvironmentfordevelopers.
• ApplicationsfortheExpeditorplatformmustbedesignedasEclipseplug-ins,whichrepresentsadeparturefromthemethodtowhichapplicationdevelopersareaccustomed.
• AlthoughEclipsehasanextensivetrackrecordasadevelopertool,ithasamuchmorelimitedhistoryasanapplicationdeploymentplatform(whichisthewayitisusedinExpeditor).
• IBM’smarketingmessagehaschanged(alongwiththeExpeditorproductname)multipletimes,resultinginaslowrateofadoption.
Rating: Promising
InfragisticsInfragisticsisacompanyformedin2001throughthemergerofaMicrosoft-focused,aftermarketvendor(SheridanSoftware)withaJava-orientedvendor(ProtoView).ThecompanyhasbecomeakeyplayerinaclusterofaftermarketvendorsthatsellvisualandbusinesscomponentsforMicrosoft-relatedpresentationplatforms,suchasWPF,ASP.NETWindowsFormsandSilverlight.InfragisticscompetesdirectlywithDevExpress(avendorthatisalsocoveredinthisMarketScope),aswellaswithothervendorsinthismarketniche(ComponentOne,Dundas,Telerik,Janus,SoftwareFX,Xceed,DataDynamics,ComponentArt,Divelements,SpringSourceandSyncfusion).Manyofthesecompaniesarecomplementarytotheirhostplatformbyfillinginthegapsthroughvisualcontrols(datagrids),aswellasreport-orientedcomponents.
InfragisticsdifferentiatesitselffromDevExpressinthatitsupportsawiderrangeofplatforms,includingJSF.InfragisticshasbeenslightlybehindDevExpressinproducingacomprehensiveframework,ratherthanalooselyconnectedsetoflarge
components.InMarch2008,InfragisticsintroducedAikido,whichisbuiltonMicrosoftASP.NETAjaxlibraryandprovidesalayerofadditionalcomponents.
Positives
• Infragisticsprovidesasolidlineofcomponents,andarecentlyreleasedacomponentframeworkthatleveragesMicrosoftASP.NETAjaxtechnology.
• It’sasmallvendorthathassurvivedforalongtimeintheshadowofMicrosoft.
• Thecompanyhasaloyalcustomerbasethatadoptscomponentproductsonatacticalbasis.
Negatives
• Infragisticsisasmallcompanyinacrowdedaftermarketsector.
• Customersviewthecompany’sproductsastactical,notstrategic.
Rating: Promising
jQueryOneofthemostprominent,community-based,open-sourceAjaxlibrariesisjQuery,initiallyauthoredbyJohnRessiginJanuary2006,andwithversion1.0releasedinAugustofthatyear.Thepackagehassincegrownrapidlyinvisibilityandinfluence,throughamixofelegantcodingtechniques,well-writtendocumentationand,mostrecently,industrysupportfromheavyweightvendors,suchasMicrosoftandNokia.
Thepackageisabout100kbuncompressed(30kbpacked),availablefromjquery.comundertheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT)ortheGPL2license.
Positives
• jQueryhasanelegantarchitecturewithwell-writtendocumentationandasmallfootprint.
• ThecompanyreceivessupportfromMicrosoftandNokia.
• jQueryhasbeenadoptedinhigh-visibilityWebsites,suchasFandango,Twitter,BankofAmerica,Amazon,NetflixandDell.
• Ithastheabilitytocoexistwithothertoolkits,suchasPrototype.
• jQueryisstartingtogaintractionintheenterprisesector.
Negatives
• jQuerycompetesinadynamicspacewithotherevolvingtoolkits(Dojo,MooToolsandPrototype).
• Itisnotasfull-featuredasother(larger)Ajaxlibraries.
Rating: Positive
JackBeJackBe,alongwithBackbase,GeneralInterface(acquiredbyTibco)andLaszloSystems,isoneofthepioneeringvendorsinthecommercialAjaxtoolkitcategory.Asdotheothervendors,JackBeoffersacomprehensiveAjaxframeworkandtoolsetforbuildingrich
11Webapplications.Unliketheothers,JackBehas,inrecentyears,repositioneditselfasavendorofenterprisemashuptechnology.AlthoughitcontinuestomaintaintheAjaxproduct,itsmarketingeffortsaredirectedatthemashupsector.Inthatrespect,JackBehascollaboratedwitherstwhilecompetitorsBackbaseandExtasmashupinterfacepartners.JackBe’smashuptechnologysupportsRIAframeworksbasedonFlex,Flashand.NET.
Positives
• JackBehasawell-designed,full-featured,closed-sourceAjaxlibraryandframeworktargetedtotheenterprisesector
• Itisasmallvendorthathasdemonstratedthatitcanrespondquicklytochangingmarketconditions.
• JackBehasagrowingnetworkofsystemintegrationpartnersandothervendorrelationships.
Negatives
• IntheAjaxcategory,thecompanyhasaclosed-sourceproductcompetingwithcommoditized,open-sourcetechnologies.
• JackBeisasmallvendorwithlimitedresourcesandbrandrecognition.
• Thecompany’sprimaryfocusisnolongerAjaxandRIA,butinsteadmashups.
Rating: Promising
Laszlo SystemsLaszloSystemsisperhapstheearliestcommercialentrantintheAjax/RIAsector,havingbeenfoundedin2000andreleasingitsLaszloPresentationServerproductin2002.AlongwithBackbase,GeneralInterface(acquiredbyTibco),JackBeandNexaweb,LaszlohelpedshapethecontoursoftheAjaxandRIAcategory,startingoutasacommercialclosed-sourcepackage,thenmovingtoopensourcein2004(underthenameOpenLaszlo).Therehavebeen500,000downloadsofOpenLaszlosincethattime.Thecompany’soriginalproductinitiallyranonaFlash-enabledbrowser,butthearchitectureisgeneralenoughthatanapplicationbuiltwithLaszlocanbedeployedtoAjaxandJavaMEruntimeenvironments.ThismultiplatformtargetingispossiblethroughtheuseofdeclarativeXMLasamechanismforspecifyingthelayoutandbehaviorofanapplication.
Thecompany’sproductresemblesAdobeFlexinarchitecture(becauseofitsuseofdeclarativeXML,itsrelianceonaFlash-enabledbrowseranditsserver-sidecompilation).Thecompanyhasachievedsomesuccessintheenterprisesector,withuseatAllstateandSears,andapartnershipwithIBM,incorporatedintoproductssuchasWebSphereapplicationserverandCommerceManagementCenter.Thecompanyalsohassomemarketpresenceintop100consumerWebsites,suchasPandora.com,andthecustomer-facingWebpresenceofWal-MartandVerizon.LaszlohasrecentlyshifteditsmarketfocustoserviceprovidersandbroadeneditsproductlinetoincludeaWebtopenvironmentthatintegratesWeb-basedapplications,suchasmail,instantmessaging,photo-sharingandcontacts.
Positives
• Laszlohasabroad-scopearchitecturedrivenbydeclarativeXML.
• MultiplatformtargetingisoneofLaszlo’sfocuses.
• Itisoneoflongest-livedvendorsinthecategory.
• Thecompany’srecentlyaddedverticalfocusmayprovidestability.
Negatives
• Laszloisasmallcompanywithlimitedresourcescompetingagainstlargeorganizations.
• ItsrecentrepositioningmayaffectAjax/RIAmarketmomentum.
Rating: Positive
Magic Software EnterprisesMagicSoftwareEnterprisesisbasedinIsraelandhasbeeninexistenceformorethantwodecades.Inthe1990s,itsmainproductwasa4GLsystemthatwonawardsforitshighproductivity.Thecompany’sfocusisnowanapplication-platform-as-a-service(APaaS)offeringcalleduniPaaS,withversion1.5releasedinOctober2008.ThisisaWeb-based,multitenantRIAthatusesadeclarativeruleenginetodeploytoarangeoftargets,includingpureHTML,aswellasJava-basedand.NET-basedclients.Theprimaryadoptershavebeensmalltomidsizeenterprises.
Positives
• Thevendorhasbeenalongtimeplayerinapplicationdevelopmentsector.
• Itsupportsmultipleclienttargets,including.NET,JavaandHTML.
• MagicSoftwarealsosupportson-premisesandmultitenanthosteddeployments.
Negatives
• MagicSoftwareisasmallvendorwithlittlepenetrationintheenterprisesector.
• Itisacommercialvendorcompetingwithrapidlyevolvingopensource.
Rating: Promising
MicrosoftMicrosofthasbeenarticulatingamessagetodevelopersabout“smartclient”andrichuserinterfacetechnologyformuchofthepastdecade.Thecompanyhasmanydifferenttechnologyofferingsinthiscategory,includingWPF,WindowsForms,Silverlightversion1andversion2(whichcanbeevaluatedseparately),CompositeUIApplicationBlock,theMicrosoftAjaxlibrary(whichhasaclient-sideaspectaswellasanASP.NET-server-centricaspect),SharePointWebPartsandMicrosoftOfficeasadeveloperplatform.Thislistdoesnotincludelegacypresentationtechnologiesandplatformsthatarestillinproduction,(suchasVisualBasicandWin32GDI).
MicrosoftSilverlightversion2isthemostrecententryfromMicrosoftintheareaofuserinterfaceandpresentation-orientedtechnologiesandplatforms.Silverlightv.2istheMicrosoftofferingthatGartnerclientsaskaboutmostfrequently,anditformsthecoreofthisMarketScopeevaluation.Ithasrapidlygrowing“mind
12share”thatGartnerexpectswilltranslateintostrongmarketshareovertime.AlthoughcustomerinterestiscenteredonSilverlight,itisworthnotingthatmanyMicrosoft-centricorganizationsalreadyhaveacapableplatformforenterpriseWebapplicationsintheformofASP.NET,whichofferstheMicrosoftAtlaslibraryasawayofdeliveringanenhanceduserexperience.FormanyorganizationsconsideringSilverlightforstraightforwardenterpriseapplications,buildingonASP.NETmightbeamorepragmaticandcost-effectivechoice.Ofcourse,thesearenotmutuallyexclusive,andhybridscenariosmayrepresenttheoptimumwaytobalancepriorities.
AlthoughSilverlightv.1andv.2sharetheproductname,theyaredifferenttechnologies.Silverlightv.1wasreleasedinmid-2007,andisessentiallyamedia-playercomponentthatisscriptablewithJavaScript.Itistargetedatconsumer-facingWebsitesandachievedlittlemarketpenetration.Silverlightv.2wasreleasedinSeptember2008,andisasignificantstepforwardintechnologyandtooling.Itpackagesthepowerfulfeaturesof.NET-basedWPFintoalighter-weight,cross-platformoffering.Itcanbeusedforexternal-facingWebsitesorinternal-facingapplications.Gartnerexpectsstrongmarketgrowth,primarilyamongenterprisesthatarecommittedto.NET.SomenotablesitesusingSilverlightareBlockbuster,Toyota,YahooJapan,AOL,BBC,HardRockandNetflix(whichisnowusingSilverlighttodeliverstreamedmovierentals).
Positives
• Microsoftbrings.NETtechnologytothebrowser,leveragingtheskillsofanestimated4million.NETdevelopers.
• SilverlightissupportedbythebroadecosystemofMicrosoftserviceproviders,systemintegratorsandISVs,includingsomecompanieslistedinthisMarketScope(suchasDevExpressandInfragistics).
• Silverlightsupportsmultipleprogramminglanguages,includingdynamiclanguages
• Microsoftisasystematicanddiligentcompetitor,andtheupcomingSilverlightv.3willlikelycontinuethetrajectorybegunwithv.1andv.2.
Negatives
• Linkagetothe.NETplatformandtoolsisperceivedasanegativebysomenon-Microsoft-centricorganizations,althoughSilverlighthascross-platformattributesonthedevelopmentsideandthedeliveryside.
• Silverlightv.2hasonlyrecentlybeenreleased,althoughitsuseby40millionviewersduringtheNBCbroadcastofthesummerOlympicsinAugust2008canbeviewedasaproductionrelease.
Rating: Positive
Nexaweb TechnologiesNexaweb,alongwithvendorssuchasBackbase,GeneralInterface(acquiredbyTibco),JackBeandLaszloSystems,formsthecontingentofpioneeringcommercialvendorsintheAjaxandRIAsector.Nexawebwasfoundedin2000,andshippeditsfirstproductin2001.AlthoughBackbase,JackBeandGeneralInterfaceapproachedthespacefromtheAjaxdirection,andLaszlofromaFlash-basedbrowser,NexawebtookaJava-basedapproach.
Likesomeoftheothers,NexawebreliesonadeclarativeXMLrepresentationoflayoutandbehavior.ThisapproachenablestheNexawebsystemtoevolvetoitsUniversalClientFramework,whichcantargetAjax,Javaordesktopenvironments.Nexaweb’sdeclarativelanguageiscalledextensibleAjaxplatform(XAP),whichwasanopen-sourceprojectattheApacheFoundation’sincubator,andwasadaptedtosupporttheDojoToolkitfromtheDojofoundationinearly2008intheformofdojo.E.Nexaweb’srecentmarketfocushasshiftedtoemphasizemodernizationoflegacyenterpriseapplications(writteninPowerBuilder,VisualBasicandOracleForms).
Positives
• NexawebisapioneeringparticipantintheAjax/RIAsector.
• IthasageneralarchitectureusingdeclarativeXML,whichallowsmultiplatformtargeting.
• Thecompanyhasachievedsomepenetrationintotheenterprisesector,inpartduetotheproduct’semphasisonJava.
Negatives
• Nexawebisasmallcompanywithlimitedresourcescompetingagainstlargeorganizationsandopen-sourcealternatives.
• Itsrecentfocusonlegacymodernizationmaychangeproductpriorities.
Rating: Positive
OracleOracleisoneofthefourlargeITpowerhousevendors,alongwithIBM,SAPandMicrosoft.OracleisnostrangertoAjaxtechniques,havingusedpartialpagerendering(PPR)asfarbackas2003.However,OraclehasnotmarketeditsAjax/RIAtechnologyuntilrecently.RecentinitiativesincludeashowcaseforwhatOraclehastermedRichEnterpriseApplications(REA)athttp://rea.oracle.com.TherearealsodevelopercampaignstiedtotheOracleFusionmiddleware.
Oracle’srichclientstrategyrevolvesarounditsimplementationofJSF,calledOracleADFFaces.JSFstartedoutasaserver-sideuserinterfaceframeworkthatcanoptionallyuseclient-siderenderingforanenhanced,more-responsiveuserexperience.InadditiontoOracleADFFaces,Oraclehasanothermajortechnologyinitiativewithapresentation-relatedaspect:itsWebCenterportalplatform.
Oraclehasdonated150Ajax-enabledJSFcomponentstotheopen-sourceApacheMyFacesproject—atechnologythatisalsousedinOracleE-BusinessSuite.
Positives
• Oracleisalarge,establishedvendorwithsignificantresources,productportfoliosandecosystems.
• It’sbuildingontheindustrystandardJSF.
• Oracleiscultivatinganopen-sourcecommunityaroundOracleADFFaces.
13Negatives
• Thevaluepropositionfornon-Oraclecustomersisnotcompelling,thusfar.(Although,asthemarketevolvesinaserver-centricdirection,thesituationwillimprove.)
• Oracle’sfocusremainsmostlyserver-centric.
Rating: Promising
PrototypePrototypeisafoundation-levelAjaxtechnologythatisoftenusedinconjunctionwiththeScriptaculoususerinterfacelibrary.Bothareopensource,pureJavaScriptandhavedistinctidentities,butoverlappingcommunities.Version1.6.0.3ofPrototypeisthecurrentversion,firstavailableinSeptember2008.ItisopensourceundertheMITlicenseandisavailableasasinglesourcefile(about4,200linesofJavaScriptcode,whichweighsinat128kbuncompressed)athttp://prototypejs.org/assets/2008/1/25/prototype-1.6.0.2.js.
ScriptaculousbuildsonthecorePrototypeframeworkbyaddingananimationengine,drag-and-dropeffects,sliders,fades,autocompletionandsoon.ThepackagehasPrototypeembeddedinside,andisavailableasa194KbytecompressedJavaScriptcollectionfromhttp://script.aculo.us/downloads.
Major“competitors”areopen-sourcepackages,suchasDojo,jQueryandYUI.OnedifferentiatoristhatPrototypeisgearedtothe“writeyourownwidgets”developer,whoislookingforasolidbutlightweighttechnologyfoundationuponwhichtobuildcustomcomponents.High-profile,public-facingWebsitesthatwanttohaveadistinctlookandfeelhavechosenthePrototype/Scriptaculouscombination(sitessuchasApple,CNN,IkeaandGucci).
Positives
• PrototypewasoneoftheearlytoolkitstopackageAjaxknow-howintoanopen-sourceoffering.
• Ithasstrongadoptionamonghigh-trafficsites.
• Itsmultilayermodularstructuremakesadoptionpossibleinstages.
• Thecompanyhasanemergingecosystemoftrainingandsupportresources(booksandcommunities).
Negatives
• Nosinglevendorhasbecomestrategicallycommittedtothesuccessofthisproject.
• Prototypeisnotasfull-featuredasotherlargertoolkits.
Rating: Positive
Sun MicrosystemsAswithanylargeplatformvendor,SunMicrosystemshasarangeofpresentation-orientedtechnologiesandplatforms,goingbacktothemid-1990sandthedaysofvenerableJavaapplets.Earlysuccessinclient-sideuserinterfacetechnologywasslowedduetoinconsistentimplementationsanddiscontinuoustransitionswithuserinterfacelibraries(fromAWTtoSwing).Forthepastdecade,
Sun’sJavahasfoundsuccessinstrategic,server-side,enterprise-scaleplatforms(suchasJavaEE),butithasnotbeenavisibleparticipantintheclient-sidecompetitivearena,cedingthegroundtoAjaxtoolkitsandFlash-basedRIAapproaches.
SunrecentlyintroducedJavaFXversion1,whichrepresentsthecompany’sattempttocatch-upinrich-clienttechnologies.JavaFXisalayerontopofthestandardJavaruntime.Itaddsmultimediacapabilities,adeclarativescriptinglanguage,andaruntimeenvironmentthatsupportsinside-the-browser,outside-the-browserandmobiledeployments.
Positives
• Sun’sJavatechnologyhasbeenamainstayoftheWebformorethanadecade.
• ThecompanyhasabroadecosystembuiltaroundJava,includingplatformvendors(BIM),ISVs(Oracle),andmanysystemintegratorsandglobalITservicesfirms.
Negatives
• SunhadalateentryintomarketterritoryinhabitedbyAdobe,Microsoftandothers.
• Corepartsofthevalueproposition(mobile,designer/developerintegrationtools)won’tbereleaseduntil2009.
Rating: Promising
Tibco SoftwareTheGItoolkitfromTibcohasbeenoneoftheearliest-developedAjaxtoolkits,datingbackto2002,fromasmallstartupvendorofthesamenamethatwasacquiredbyTibcoin2004.Tibcoisthewell-knownenterprisemiddlewarevendorthatalsomarketsaportal.WithGI,ithasmadeaforayintouser-facingtechnology.Thepackageinitiallywasaclosed-source,enterprise-orientedproductthatonlysupportedtheInternetExplorerbrowser.Morerecently,ithasbecomeopensourceandcross-browser,supportingFirefox3andSafari3.ThecurrentversionofGIisv.3.6.1,andthe10.1Mbdownloadisavailableatwww.tibco.com/devnet/gi/.
InFebruary2008,thecompanysawthedepartureofkeyGIstaffmember,KevinHakman,togotoAptana,avendorofserver-sideJavaScriptandclient-sideAjax.ThenumberofinquiriesreceivedbyGartneraboutTibcoGIhasdeclinedduringthepastyear.
Positives
• Tibcohasawell-designed,full-featuredproducttargetedfortheenterprisesector.
• Thecompanyhasagoodtrackrecordandmarketpresenceintheenterprisesectorforitsmiddlewareproductline.
Negatives
• Thevendor’smiddleware-centricmessageaboutuserexperiencehasnotresonatedwithitstargetmarket.
• Apresentation-orientedproductisnotvisibleamongabroadermixofthecompany’sproductsandpriorities.
Rating: Promising
14YahooYahooisamajorplayerintheconsumerWebsector,andoperatessuchpropertiesastheMyYahooportal,Flickrphoto-sharing,YahooMailandYahooStoree-commercestorefront.TheYUItoolkitisafreeandopen-sourceAjaxtoolkitwritteninpureJavaScript.Thepackagecontainsnotjustaframeworkandwidgets,butalsoutilities(logger,compressor),cascadingstylesheet(CSS)toolsanddesignpatterns.ThecurrentversionofYUIis2.60,anditisavailableundertheBSDlicenseasa10.5MBzipfile,whichincludessubstantialdocumentation,250workingexamplesandtutorials.ThecoreportionoftheYUIlibraryis31KbminifiedJavaScript(and,incompressedformat,about11Kb).Thecoreloadstherestofthelibraryondemand.YUIhasafullcomplementofwidgets,andmanyofthesesupporttheARIAplug-intoenableaccessibility.YUIleveragesCSSheavily,totheextentthatsomeWebdesignersfindvalueinusingtheCSSportionofYUI(suchasCSSGrid)independentlyfromtheAjaxpart.TheYUICompressor,YUITestframeworkandYUIDoctoolssupportmore-robustdevelopmentprocesses.
Positives
• Yahoohasafull-featuredAjaxtoolkitforWeb2.0developers.
• ItleveragestheYahoobrandandecosystem,includingtheYahoodesignpatternlibrary.
• Thecompanywillhavemultiplereleasesovertime,andproductionuseonMyYahooandtheYahoostartpagehasbeenineffectsincemid-2005.
• Yahoohasgoodadoptionamongthetop100Websites,andwasoneofthetopthreeAjaxlibrariesinthebroad-scopesitesurveyconductedbyOperainDecember2008(1millionWebsitessurveyedviacrawler).
Negatives
• TheYahoobrandhaslostsomelusterinrecentmonths,andthecompanyhasseensomestaffdeparturesandlayoffs,resultinginperceptionsofanuncertainfuture.
Rating: Positive
Vendors Added or DroppedWereviewandadjustourinclusioncriteriaforMagicQuadrantsandMarketScopesasmarketschange.Asaresultoftheseadjustments,themixofvendorsinanyMagicQuadrantorMarketScopemaychangeovertime.AvendorappearinginaMagicQuadrantorMarketScopeoneyearandnotthenextdoesnotnecessarilyindicatethatwehavechangedouropinionofthatvendor.Thismaybeareflectionofachangeinthemarketand,therefore,changedevaluationcriteria,orachangeoffocusbyavendor.
Gartner MarketScope DefinedGartner’sMarketScopeprovidesspecificguidanceforuserswhoaredeploying,orhavedeployed,productsorservices.AGartnerMarketScoperatingdoesnotimplythatthevendormeetsall,fewornoneoftheevaluationcriteria.TheGartnerMarketScopeevaluationisbasedonaweightedevaluationofavendor’sproductsincomparisonwiththeevaluationcriteria.ConsiderGartner’scriteriaastheyapplytoyourspecificrequirements.ContactGartnertodiscusshowthisevaluationmayaffectyourspecificneeds.
Inthebelowtable,thevariousratingsaredefined:
MarketScope Rating Framework
Strong PositiveIsviewedasaproviderofstrategicproducts,servicesorsolutions:
• Customers:Continuewithplannedinvestments.
• Potential customers: Considerthisvendorastrongchoiceforstrategicinvestments.
PositiveDemonstratesstrengthinspecificareas,butexecutioninoneormoreareasmaystillbedevelopingorinconsistentwithotherareasofperformance:
• Customers:Continueplannedinvestments.
• Potential customers:Considerthisvendoraviablechoiceforstrategicortacticalinvestments,whileplanningforknownlimitations.
PromisingShowspotentialinspecificareas;however,executionisinconsistent:
• Customers: Considertheshort-andlong-termimpactofpossiblechangesinstatus.
• Potential customers: Planforandbeawareofissuesandopportunitiesrelatedtotheevolutionandmaturityofthisvendor.
CautionFaceschallengesinoneormoreareas.
• Customers:Understandchallengesinrelevantareas,anddevelopcontingencyplansbasedonrisktoleranceandpossiblebusinessimpact.
• Potential customers:Accountforthevendor’schallengesaspartofduediligence.
Strong NegativeHasdifficultyrespondingtoproblemsinmultipleareas.
• Customers:Executeriskmitigationplansandcontingencyoptions.
• Potential customers: Considerthisvendoronlyfortacticalinvestmentwithshort-term,rapidpayback.
15
• jQuery—http://jquery.com/
• JPSpan—http://sourceforge.net/projects/jpspan
• LaszloSystems—http://www.openlaszlo.org/
• MicrosoftAtlasAjax—http://ajax.asp.net
• MicrosoftSilverlight—http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight
• Midori—http://www.midorijs.com/
• MochiKit—http://www.mochikit.com/
• Moo.fx—http://moofx.mad4milk.net/
• MooTools—http://mootools.net
• Nexaweb—http://www.nexaweb.com
• OpenLinkAjax—http://oat.openlinksw.com/
• Nitobi—http://www.nitobi.com/
• Prototype—http://www.prototypejs.org/
• Qooxdoo—http://qooxdoo.org/
• Rialto—http://rialto.improve-technologies.com/wiki/rialto
• Rico—http://www.openrico.org/
• Sajax—http://www.modernmethod.com/sajax/
• Scriptaculous—http://script.aculo.us/
• SmartClient—http://www.smartclient.com/
• SoftwareFX—http://softwarefx.com/
• SproutCore—http://www.sproutcore.com/
• Spry—http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Spry
• SunJavaFX—http://www.sun.com/javafx
• Telerik—http://www.telerik.com/
• TibcoGI—http://www.tibco.com/devnet/gi/default.jsp
• Tibet—http://www.technicalpursuit.com/ajax_indepth.htm
• TurboGears—http://www.turbogears.org/
• VisualWebGUI—http://www.visualwebgui.com/
• WebORB—http://www.themidnightcoders.com/weborb/
• WebWork—http://www.opensymphony.com/webwork/
• Xajax—http://www.xajaxproject.org/
• YUI—http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/
• ZimbraKabuki—http://www.zimbra.com/community/kabuki_ajax_toolkit_download.html
• ActiveWidgets—http://www.activewidgets.com/
• AdobeSpry—http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry/
• AdobeFlex—http://www.adobe.com/products/flex
• Aflax—http://www.aflax.org/
• AjaxTags—http://ajaxtags.sourceforge.net/
• Ajax.NET—http://www.ajaxpro.info/
• AjaxAC—http://ajax.zervaas.com.au/
• Ajile—http://ajile.iskitz.com/
• AJForm—http://projects.aphexcreations.net/ajform/
• AJS—http://orangoo.com/labs/AJS/
• Aspects—http://ajaxaspects.blogspot.com/
• Backbase—http://www.backbase.com/
• Bindows—http://www.bindows.net
• Cappuccino—http://cappuccino.org/
• ComponentOne—http://www.componentone.com/
• CanooULC—http://www.canoo.com
• CleanAjax—http://clean-ajax.sourceforge.net/
• CNETCiUI—http://www.clientcide.com/cnet-js-standards/ciui-cnet-iphone-ui/
• Curl—http://curl.com/
• DevExpress—http://devexpress.com/
• Dojo—http://dojotoolkit.org/
• DundasDataVisualization—http://dundas.com/
• DWR—http://getahead.org/dwr
• Echo2—http://www.nextapp.com/platform/echo2/echo/
• ExtJS—http://extjs.com/
• FacebookAnimationJavaScriptlibrary—http://developer.facebook.com/animation/
• GWT—http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/
• HTML_AJAX—http://pear.php.net/package/HTML_AJAX/
• IBMLotusExpeditor—http://www.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/expeditor/
• IcesoftTechnologiesIcefaces—http://icesoft.com/
• Infragistics—http://www.infragistics.com/
• JackBe—http://www.jackbe.com
• JavaBluePrints—https://blueprints.dev.java.net/
Note 1Full List of Ajax and RIA Packages