One of a number of “middleweight” solutions in the RIA (rich Internet application) spectrum, Curl is a language, an IDE, and a runtime engine that goes beyond the capabilities of lighter-weight AJAX without incurring the heavier overhead of the Java or .Net runtime. A number of Curl characteristics make it especially suitable for enterprise use: excellent performance, the ability to handle intermittent connectivity, support for large data sets, and graceful presentation of complex interfaces.
Since my review of Curl 5.0 last August, Curl won InfoWorld’s Technology of the Year award in the RIA category, Curl 6.0 was released, and Curl released three open source projects: WSDK (Web Services Development Kit), CDK (Curl Data Kit), and CDU (Curl Development Utilities). Curl can do some impressive things with graphics for a RIA, as shown by this figure.
I applaud Curl’s open source initiatives, but I’ll concentrate here on reviewing the new features of Curl 6.0, which amount to a Macintosh port of the runtime, AJAX interoperability features, controls additions and improvements including easier customization, and graphics rendering improvements such as better antialiasing and smoother curves. The Curl language itself boasts some new features, as does the IDE. The latter include conditional breakpoints and the ability to show variable values as tooltips in the editor.
[ Read Martin Heller’s Curl 5.0 review from last August, and see a video demo of Curl 5.0. Read his overview of the RIA space. Read his review of Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 and 1.1. Read Peter Wayner’s inside look at open source AJAX toolkits Dojo, Ext, Google Web Toolkit, jQuery, MooTools, Prototype and Scriptaculous, and Yahoo User Interface, along with short video tours of each. ]
The Macintosh port of the Curl runtime engine is still in beta as I write this, but should be released in April. The key feature of the port is that it displays a native Mac look and feel. That took some work, which was facilitated by the improved rendering and the skinnable controls. The Curl IDE has not been ported to the Mac, however, and Mac fonts are different enough from Windows and Linux fonts that you may encounter some layout issues in Curl applets that you intend to be portable.
| Test Center Scorecard | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| 30% | 30% | 15% | 15% | 10% | ||
| Curl 6.0 and Curl Pro 6.0 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
8.6
Very Good
|
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
1 Recommendation
