UltraLightClient

Infobox Software
name = Canoo UltraLightClient (ULC)
developer = Canoo
latest release version = '08
latest release date = June 26, 2008
latest preview version =
latest preview date =
operating system = Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris and Windows
language = documentation in English
genre = Rich Internet application
license = commercial license
website = http://www.canoo.com/ulc/

UltraLightClient is a widget toolkit for creating Rich Internet Applications in Java.

The software library provides thin client support for Swing. It is used to develop rich Internet applications that are based entirely on Java. By using this library, server-side Java EE applications can offer Swing based graphical user interfaces in a thin client architecture, i.e. it bridges the gap between Swing and a server-side web architecture. The core idea of UltraLightClient is to run applications on a centrally controlled application server, like HTML based applications. Only an application-independent Presentation Engine runs on the desktop.

The software library is developed and maintained by [http://www.canoo.com Canoo] , a software company based in Basel, Switzerland.

History

Originally developed in 1997 by IBM's OTI Lab in Zurich, Switzerland, Canoo licensed the library from IBM in 2000 and has added further developments such as Java EE compatibility, near-equivalence to Swing widget set, drag-and-drop functionality, and a visual editor for Eclipse.

Version history

Comparison with Ajax

UltraLightClient is a Java library to build rich Internet applications. Compared to the rudimentary UI components of many Ajax libraries, it offers the full Swing set for UI development and can easily be extended to include other Swing-based component libraries. It closely follows Java standards and is based on Sun's Swing, while with Ajax it is still unclear which libraries will establish themselves on the market.

Compared to Ajax libraries, it relies on a single technology and language and can be used with any Java IDE. Debugging and testing is much simpler because development takes place within a single technology and IDE.

UltraLightClient offers a server-side architecture. The programming model and the execution model are server-side. The Canoo library takes care of the code split between client and server, and it is easier to protect UltraLightClient applications from security attacks.

Ajax applications can potentially be used in any browser, while ULC applications require that Java is installed on the client, either as a plug-in within a browser, or on the desktop.

A comparison of the software architectures is available at http://www.canoo.com/ulc/home/comparison/ajax.html.

Technical mailing list

[http://lists.canoo.com/mailman/listinfo/ulc-developer ULC Developer Mailing List] for technology questions, development issues, bug reports, and workarounds.

External links

* Technical background information: [http://www.canoo.com/ulc/home/technicalconcepts.html ULC Tech Concepts] .
* [http://www.canoo.com/ulc/developerzone/documentation.html Documentation] .
* The [http://ulc-community.canoo.com/ UltraLightClient Code Community] offers useful extensions, sample applications and code snippets for developers.
* [http://www.canoo.com/ulc/demos/index.html Demos] .
* [http://www.planet-ria.org/ Planet RIA Newsfeed]

Further reading

* [http://javadesktop.org/articles/canoo/index.html Server-Side Swing for Rich Internet Applications]
* [http://www.adtmag.com/article.aspx?id=18969 Java RIA an effective alternative to AJAX?]
* [http://www.javalobby.org/articles/ria-soa/ RIA Technology enables Mobility for Insurance Applications]