What is a Rich Internet Application (RIA?)
RIAs are the next generation of internet based applications that are more engaging, more interactive, more intuitive than both desktop and conventional web-based applications.
They improve:
- User Productivity
- User satisfaction
- User loyalty
They reduce:
- deployment costs
- maintenance costs
- band-width costs
- training costs
Rich Text Applications "provide a very viable technology capable of addressing a broad range of Internet, intranet and corporate application needs without requiring wholesale replacement of existing Web application investments.

- Empower companies to create wholly new kinds of engaging, innovative user experiences and applications with features or capabilities that in most cases would be extremely difficult or impossible for a developer to create using traditional Web technologies.

- Deliver a variety of substantial business benefits including: highly qualified lead generation, increased sales, increased brand loyalty, longer stays on sites, more frequent repeat visits, reduced bandwidth costs, reduced support calls, and deepened customer relationships.

- Offer the potential for a fundamental shift in the experience of Internet applications, leading to applications that come closer to delivering on the promise of the Internet."