Browser & Emerging Rich Client Technologies

The web has been in a state of transition since its inception. In the beginning there was basic HTML. As more complicated layouts were demanded developers moved to using tables for greater control. Next came CSS to allow the separation of style from structure. Today the shift occurring is not in terms of layout. Instead the driving forces are a better overall user experience, support of rich media such as audio and video, and the ability to run application in both online and offline modes.

The latest dotcom success, YouTube, made rich media an expected part of the internet experience instead of an exception. It along with other sites like it are causing companies to think beyond CSS and HTML. Technologies such as Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flex/Apollo are providing a foundation for such rich media applications. Another growing trend is the concept of taking a web application offline. Advancements in this area include Apollo's offline capabilities as well as the newly announced Google Gears API. In this track we will dive into these technologies and others that making such a shift possible.