Rich Internet Applications combine the functionality of desktop software applications with the broad reach and low-cost deployment of web applications, resulting in significantly more intuitive, responsive, and effective user experiences (taken from Macromedia.com). In other words, Rich Internet Applications are a hybrid of the best features from the mainframe and Internet worlds. It means the average web site that performs some business process may not be optimally designed in terms of the user experience it delivers. A Rich Experience means (your customers, partners, and employees) having the ability to perform that business process in the easiest, most inviting and intuitive way. This translates into not having to scroll or jump through 10 pages of a registration form. Rather, the entire process can be displayed within one well-designed screen.
RIAs provide the biggest bang for the buck because they are:
· Easy to maintain
· Able to release features as your customers and partners demand them
· Adaptable as your business climate changes.