Today, the RIA battle lines are drawn between Adobe and Microsoft, and they’re fighting for the loyalty of people like you, who will use their products to build websites, widgets, WEB 2.0 tools, and whatnot. In the Adobe camp is a legion of graphic designers, who are experts in tools like Adobe Flash. In the Microsoft camp are the developers with expertise in the .NET framework, developer tools, and server-based products. Both sides want to retain their loyal followers and while attracting defectors from the other camp.
Where do good enterprise Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) come from? Well, a good RIA is a balanced combination of left-brain and right-brain expertise. On one end, you need the creative talent for the user interface, and on the other you need the technical experience for coding advanced behavior and function. So, the ideal RIA engineer would combine the brain of a software engineer and the brain of a graphic designer. Unfortunately, you don’t always get everything you want from a single source. The same goes for RIA providers.
Where is the current RIA industry? In the lead is Adobe, which has the edge by virtue of being the first to market and by offering an open-source solution with Flex and Air. Hot on its tail is Microsoft with SilverLight, which is pushing for enterprise-level acceptance among its large group of engineering users, translating into higher adoption potential through greater business channels. Already Adobe is giving away the tool via an open source initiative which Microsoft is also going to adopt. Each recognizes the benefit of developer/designer adoption in extending acceptance to organizations and extended reach this represents. The battle lines are not black and white for users. Clarity in which tool fits the need will occur over the next 6 to 12 months as more practical uses are made public, Microsoft releases SilverLight into production and adoption is escalated.