Application Watch – Gliffy, Visio on the Web

Dietrich Kappe, Friday, July 28, 2006 @ 1:27 pm

Yes, it's Flash and not AJAX, but this Visio-like Flash application demonstrates two things:

1. As AJAX is driving acceptance of desktop-like functionality in the browser, Flash is also benefiting from that same changing mindset. The same decisionmakers who used to wrinkle their nose at the mention of Flash are now weighing it as a legitimate option for providing RIA's in the browser.
2. The march of desktop applications to the browser continues. This app is good enough for 90% of the network diagrams people produce. Why do I need a $200+ piece of software for that? The answer? I don't.

My suspicion is that we will end up seeing a melding between Flash and AJAX, where most Rich Interaction Web Applications (RIWA) end up using both technologies. We're already seeing this happening in small increments, whether it's the use of Flash for cross domain cummunication or wrapping the Flash sound object to play mp3's in your AJAX app.

Perhaps the best know example of a melding of AJAX and Flash is Google Analytics (the former Urchin), where many of the graphs are rendered in Flash.

Related posts:

1. Application Watch – Rex V, Ajax Regex Tool
2. Framework Watch – FJax
3. Application Watch – CShout
4. Leveraging the User’s Experience: Insights on Designing for AJAX
5. Application Watch – Jotlet

Comments (4)

Software Development

Comments: 4 so far

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1. 

   Check for Adobe Apollo
   Is Flex+Flash+AJAX+DesktopApps

   Comment by Megatux, Monday, August 7, 2006 @ 11:56 am

2. 

   I’ve been using Gliffy for a while and really like it. There’s a competitor out there called Cumulate Draw. It doesn’t have the features as Gliffy but doesn’t need Flash. I’ve just written a review at my blog. My blog is to uninstall ALL applications from my desktop and replace it with online tools. Check the review out at:
   http://www.myuninstalledlife.com/cumulate-draw-online-tool-to-replace-visio

   Comment by Jonas, Sunday, November 5, 2006 @ 2:15 pm

3. 

   I’ve been using Gliffy for a while and really like it. There’s a competitor out there called Cumulate Draw. It doesn’t have the features as Gliffy but doesn’t need Flash. I’ve just written a review at my blog. My blog is to uninstall ALL applications from my desktop and replace it with online tools. Check the review out at:
   http://www.myuninstalledlife.com/cumulate-draw-online-tool-to-replace-visio

   Comment by Jonas, Sunday, November 5, 2006 @ 3:27 pm

4. 

   Hi

   worth a look: Open-jACOB Draw2D on http://www.openjacob.org/draw2d.html

   It is a javascript SDK for vectorpaint/graph/diagram
   applications in a browser. similar to mxGraph

   greetings

   Andreas

   Comment by FreeGroup, Wednesday, November 22, 2006 @ 2:21 am

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