OpenLaszlo is an
open sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
platform for the development and delivery of
rich Internet applicationA Rich Internet Application is a Web application that has many of the characteristics of desktop application software, typically delivered either by way of a site-specific browser, via a browser plug-in, independent sandboxes, extensive use of JavaScript, or virtual machines...
s. It is released under the
Open Source InitiativeThe Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software.The organization was founded in February 1998, by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond, prompted by Netscape Communications Corporation publishing the source code for its flagship Netscape Communicator product...
-certified
Common Public LicenseIn computing, the CPL is a free software / open-source software license published by IBM. The Free Software Foundation and Open Source Initiative have approved the license terms of the CPL....
(CPL).
The OpenLaszlo platform consists of the LZX programming language and the OpenLaszlo Server:
- LZX is an XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
and JavaScriptJavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
description languageDescription language may refer to:* Interface description language aka interface definition language ** Regular Language description for XML ** Web Services Description Language ** Page description language...
similar in spirit to XULIn computer programming, XUL , the XML User Interface Language, is an XML user interface markup language developed by the Mozilla project. XUL operates in Mozilla cross-platform applications such as Firefox...
, MXMLMXML is an XML-based user interface markup language first introduced by Macromedia in March 2004. Application developers use MXML in combination with ActionScript to develop rich Internet applications, with products such as Adobe Flex....
, and XAML. LZX enables a declarative, text-based development process that supports rapid prototypingRapid application development is a software development methodology that uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The "planning" of software developed using RAD is interleaved with writing the software itself...
and software developmentSoftware development is the development of a software product...
best practices. It is designed to be familiar to traditional web application developers who are familiar with HTMLHyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
and JavascriptJavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
.
- The OpenLaszlo Server is a Java
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
servlet that compiles LZX applications into executable binaries for targeted run-time environments.
Deployment
Laszlo applications can be deployed as traditional Java servlets, which are compiled and returned to the browser dynamically. This method requires that the web server is also running the OpenLaszlo server.
Alternatively, Laszlo applications can be compiled from LZX into DHTML or a
binaryA binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes; for example, computer document files containing formatted text...
SWFSWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript. Originating with FutureWave Software, then transferred to Macromedia, and then coming under the control of Adobe, SWF files can contain animations or applets of varying degrees of interactivity and function.,...
file, and loaded statically into an existing web page. This method is known as SOLO deployment. Applications deployed in this manner lack some functionality of servlet-contained files, such as the ability to consume
SOAPSOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks...
web services and Java RPC remote procedure calls.
Adopters
Laszlo-powered Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) have been deployed by
EarthlinkEarthLink , is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It claims 1.94 million subscribers.- Business :EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including dial-up, DSL, satellite, and cable. Both dial-up and high speed Internet access are available...
, Verizon, WalMart,
IBM WebSphereIBM WebSphere refers to a brand of computer software products in the genre of enterprise software known as "application and integration middleware". These software products are used by end-users to create applications and integrate applications with other applications...
,
Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
,
BehrBehr Process Corporation is a manufacturer of interior and exterior residential paint, founded in 1947 by Otho Behr Jr. It is known for their extensive range of available colors...
,
PandoraPandora Radio is an automated music recommendation service and custodian of the Music Genome Project available only in the United States. The service plays musical selections similar to song suggestions entered by a user...
, La Quinta Hotels and DeanForAmerica.com.
Laszlo Systems, makers of OpenLaszlo, is developing their own software based on the Laszlo Presentation Server. One is a mail client (
Laszlo MailLaszlo Mail is a commercial webmail product developed by Laszlo Systems, located in San Mateo, CA. The Laszlo Mail software may be purchased for installation and deployment on a company's webserver, or individuals may sign up for a free account at . The commercial product was initially introduced...
) which is similar to
Microsoft OutlookMicrosoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
or
Mozilla ThunderbirdMozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser...
, but which operates within the web browser. Another, called Webtop, is an integrated application environment for enterprise use.
Version history
OpenLaszlo 3.x
Supports Flash Player, versions 6, 7 and 8.
OpenLaszlo 4.x
Supports Flash Player, versions 7, 8, 9 and 10 as well as DHTML.
Project history
Laszlo was founded by David Temkin.
OpenLaszlo was originally called the Laszlo Presentation Server (LPS). Development of the LPS began in the fall of 2001. Preview versions were released to select partners over the course of 2002; several of these were used to deploy the
Behr paint application. The first general release of LPS was in early 2002.
In October 2004, Laszlo Systems released the entire sources to the Laszlo Presentation Server under the GPL open source license, and initiated the OpenLaszlo project. In 2005, coincident with the release of version 3.0, the name of the Laszlo Presentation Server was changed to OpenLaszlo.
Timeline:
- 2000: Prototyping begins
- 2001: Development begins
- 2002: LPS preview releases; first deployed Laszlo application (Behr)
- 2003: LPS 1.0, 1.1 released; deployed applications (Yahoo!, Earthlink)
- 2004: LPS 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 released; LPS open sourced
- 2005: OpenLaszlo 3.0, 3.1 released; name changed to OpenLaszlo
- 2006: OpenLaszlo 3.2, 3.3 released
- 2007: OpenLaszlo 4.0 released
- 2008: OpenLaszlo 4.1 released
- 2008: OpenLaszlo 4.2 released
- 2009 February: OpenLaszlo 4.2.0.1 released
Naming
The name Laszlo is of
HungarianHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
origin. The project was named after the cat of Peter Andrea, a graphic designer and co-founder of Laszlo Systems. The cat, in turn, was named in honor of the Hungarian
constructivistConstructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
painter and photographer
László Moholy-NagyLászló Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
.
See also
External links