Why

Laszlo belongs to a class of applications where the UI is developed declaratively using XML. The declarative XML is interpreted by some underlying technology to render and interact with the user. The interpretation can be done by any of the underlying and available technologies such as Java/Awt/Applet, Java/Swing/Applet, Flash, SVG Player, etc. Laszlo uses Flash 5 and up. The wide availability of Flash makes the platform very available on most browsers.

The products that seem to do this are:

Flex from Macro Media (About $12,000 license)
XUL from Mozilla (Limited to Mozilla at this time)
Various applets that have a version of XUL
XAML in Longhorn (not here for prime time yet)

Of all these Laszlo seem to have gotten a good report card. This class of applications will only increase in prominence. Applying these tools to solve real world problems would be critical to architects and developers. At this time Laszlo seem to be a good candidate to evaluate this technology and possible toolsets that can be developed for value added purposes.

Possible issues

Implementing solutions in production currently costs a couple of grand. There is a non-commercial solution available for limited use in addition to displaying the powered by banner. This is probably an option for non-profits and also consulting companies that wants to evangelize the platform. It also follows a double-server model for delivering content. This needs to be further investigated for speed for certain low bandwidth networks.

Good things

Developer edition free
Non-commercial license available
Good feed back on ease of use
Flash 5

Taking it for a spin: An advanced photo album

This project will work as a playground for the proving the technology. Create a photo album based on an XML document. The structure of this document can be as follows:

title
artist
intro
image (one or more)
  name
  url-thumbnail
  url-large-image
  description
summary

Given this document as XML the album should provide an innovative rectangular display fit for a web page.

A larger scope project

Develop a file manager for the content management website of AKC. This control panel will allow authors to seemlessly author and manage their nested hierarchy of folders, files, and master pages. This should demonstrate the larger capabilities of Laszlo.

Initial work assignment

Download
Install
Configure
Locate online docs
Locate online forums
Create the photo app
Provide a detailed paper on this assignment
Also provide a minimal requirements for developing and testing

Deliverables

  1. outlining the architecture of Laszlo
  2. installing and writing a hello world
  3. State of XAML/XUL with Laszlo backdrop
  4. Why is laszlo relevant
  5. Laszlo for complex development: A content management file manager
  6. How to apply laszlo for corporate development
  7. Limitations of laszlo