Awesome Site with PV3D – WhiteVoid – but this is not a RIA
by Carlos Pinho, February 21st, 2008
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WHITEvoid

I found out this post reffering that was the most coolest RIA he ever seen. I totally disagree, not in the point that is really cool, but because we can’t say that WHITEvoid is a rich Internet application. There is a nice article by Lee Brimelow,
Flash is Not a Stepping Stone! where he mention about the RIA Terminology, which i will cote here just for reference, that explain why we can’t call to this kind of sites a Rich Internet Application:

Guess what? The vast majority of sites that show up on the FWA are not RIAs. So if you are targeting your career towards doing those kinds of experiences, don’t get caught up in the RIA hype. Rich Internet Applications, in my humble opinion, are things that look and behave more like desktop applications. This means that they make heavy use of component frameworks like Flex and they do so to the great benefit of their end users. Applications like Buzzword and Phoenix are pushing the envelope of what was traditionally thought possible in the browser, as well as on the desktop thanks to AIR. But these are applications and they should not be confused with the type of content that is put out by agencies like Big Spaceship and Red Interactive, where graphics, video, and animation take center stage. These are two different worlds, although there is of course some overlap.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 3:47 pm and is filed under AS2, AS3, Actionscript, Best Flash Sites, Flash, Flex, Reviews, papervision 3d. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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No Responses to “Awesome Site with PV3D – WhiteVoid – but this is not a RIA”

  1. jwopitz Says:
    February 21st, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    Hi Carlos.

    I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The Brimlow link is informative but in no way really discusses in depth what a RIA is or isn’t. In fact it seems to only touch on this once as a “stepping stone” into the conversation about Flash in the development role for RIAs.

    Here is how I have generally defined a RIA and I think this is a pretty standard way of doing so in the industry. It utilizes the concept that if you know what the constituents of the term R.I.A. stand for, then you can easily determine the basic intent of the item under scrutiny:

    - Does it contain Rich Content?
    - Is it presented via the Web?
    - Does it present application-like behavior such as maintaining state, appears pageless, utilizes highly interactive components, etc?

    I think Whitevoid can answer yes to all three of these questions. Whether or not the site in question was built in flex or flash or if it utilizes some framework matters not to the end user. The answers to those three questions above is generally what sets a RIA-ish site apart from the others.

    jwopitz

  2. ekz Says:
    February 21st, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    J, Whoa-Pitz…. hey buddy.

    Unfortunately, I’ll have to disagree with you here :)

    application-like behaviour == application-like behaviour
    application-like behaviour != application
    White-void behavior == engaging, interactive behavior (stateful, pageless, etc).

    Applications, or application software enable a user to perform a task or tasks that potentially has some business value. This is the difference between an informative site (despite how engaging it is, it’s a glorified brochure), and a web app that enables you to get stuff done (google.com:search, ebay.com:bid, yahoo_mail:email, etc).

    -ekz

  3. Paulius Uza Says:
    February 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    @jwopitz:

    Application is a word that describes task oriented software.

    While White Void might have similarities with RIAs it is still a website by it’s structure and logic, just a very nice one.

  4. jwopitz Says:
    February 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm

    Hey there EKZ. Long time no see.

    I suppose I will concede on this issue for now though not without having one last word. I think the big difference in the definitions here is the application in the term RIA. I generally paint with a broad brush, and that has put me at friendly odds with others.

    Let’s get definitions straight here. I default to the Oxford English Dictionary definition: Application – noun 1. a formal request to an authority. 2 the action of applying. 3 practical use or relevance. 4 sustained effort. 5 a computer program designed to fulfil a particular purpose.

    Using the 5th definition of the word, I’d say my use of the word fits the bill. Nothing specific about the business value nor about being task oriented.

    Again, let’s agree to disagree.

  5. Carlos Pinho Says:
    February 22nd, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    Hi J,

    I still understanding a RIA, as an application that let’s the user make something to obtain certain result. Although, i really loved the way you answered back.

    Here is your 5 cents. ;)

  6. Source Code | WhiteVoid Clone by Craig « Flash Enabled Blog Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 8:11 pm

    [...] the awesome PV3D site Whitvoid? Craig try to duplicate it as his 1st Papervision 3D project. Moreover he made the source [...]

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