CAMBRIDGE, MASS. - Curl last week unveiled a new version of its software for helping users build Web applications that behave like PC applications.
The Curl Client/Web Platform is a set of software tools and a run-time environment that downloads and runs code in a Web browser. The client code makes use of the local operating system to create a graphical user interface (GUI) that's fast and highly interactive. The new version of what was formerly called Surge includes a visual layout editor, a run-time that starts and runs faster, and new security features.
Anyone who has used a Web version of a PC application, such as Microsoft Outlook's Web client, knows the problem Curl tries to solve. The Web client is convenient because all you need is an Internet connection and a Web browser. The browser, however, is less usable than a Windows or Unix Motif user interface. It misses such things as drop-down lists, menus, drag-and-drop - in short all the things that can be done when you have an operating system underneath the GUI instead of some HTML tags talking to a Web server.
"It's hard to build a powerful, compelling interface for a browser application," says Randy Souza, an analyst with the customer experience group at Forrester Research.
A number of rivals, mostly small start-ups, are attacking this problem in various ways. Appstream has software that streams pieces of Windows applications to a client, minimizing the client load to what the user needs at any given moment. Others, such as Curl, are trying to create some type of "intelligent client," Souza says. Those companies include Altio, Nexaweb and a French company, Esual, which will introduce its product to the U.S. in the next few weeks.
Better known is Macromedia, but Souza says the company is focused on Web developers and e-commerce applications rather than corporations. "The dark horse is Microsoft," he says. "On the .Net agenda are some more things that can be down with the Common Language Runtime and a product called Windows Forms. With these, you'll be able to build richer clients."
The original release of Curl Surge, in 2001, emphasized the Curl language, the fruit of a project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In the past year, Curl executives have focused on marketing the software as a platform - a set of design and development tools, and deployment services that can be used to create so-called "rich" Web clients. Curl now is focusing on two markets: customers developing their corporate portals and intranets, and independent software vendors.
The software can be downloaded from an application server to a PC or laptop. The Curl platform, now available, starts at $25,000. Evaluation copies are free at www.curl.com.
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