Avalon Takes on Flash and Applets

A planned “Express” applications feature of the .NET Framework will enable Web developers to create applications hosted within Internet Explorer (IE) that run without being permanently installed on a user’s system. Included in the latest build of Avalon—a new graphics subsystem that will be part of the next Windows client (code-named Longhorn) and also available for Windows XP—Express applications will support the same scenarios as Java applets. However, Java applets are already fighting an uphill battle against alternatives such as Flash and Ajax, and Express applications may face similar challenges.

Express Applications Hosted in Browser

Unlike stand-alone Avalon applications, Express applications run within the context of IE. Running within IE simplifies application installation and provides increased security compared with stand-alone applications.

Express applications can run without having to be permanently installed on a user’s system. The mechanism used to download applications is based on ClickOnce—a technology included with version 2.0 of the .NET Framework—which aims to make it easier to download, install, and update thick-client applications. However, unlike ClickOnce, which permanently installs applications, Express applications are temporarily downloaded to IE’s cache.