Other players have come at AJAX from the server side: , which started as a Java-based framework for building client-server applications, today delivers back-end data to AJAX as well as Java clients. WaveMaker, which started life as (it was called ActiveGrid then), is today a rapid Web application builder on Java, allowing .

The more sophisticated RIA solutions have cozied up to AJAX as well. RIA oldtimer Curl, which nabbed InfoWorld's (based on ), . In addition to allowing a Curl applet to be embedded into an existing AJAX page, the new release added skinnable controls and graphics improvements such as anti-aliasing, partial transparency, and the ability to render rotated images.

Curl 6.0 is an industrial-strength RIA platform that brings high-quality graphics, sophisticated effects, easy customization, and excellent performance to Windows, Mac, and Linux clients. Curl has even added . No doubt Curl would draw more attention from developers if it weren't for juggernauts Adobe and Microsoft, and the speed at which their RIA platforms are evolving.

When Microsoft's , it was already backed by and design tools (in Visual Studio and Microsoft's Expressions Suite, respectively), and it already had . But performance -- at least for highly interactive applications -- was a concern. , completed the promise with full .Net support, a rich set of controls and networking APIs, and speed to burn. Microsoft also added the Beijing Olympics and Blockbuster to the flagship customer list, while .

Adobe turned heads with a pair of big RIA releases in 2008. (supporting graphical layout of rich, Flash-driven Web GUIs) with real-time charting, wizards for data binding and Web services, application profiling, and extensions for Adobe CS3 aimed at bridging the designer-developer gap. Adobe's bigger news, however, was , an SDK and runtime for packaging and deploying rich Web applications directly to the desktop with support for offline persistence. No browser required. with database encryption and other improvements.