OpenLaszlo 4 FAQ
- What is OpenLaszlo 4?
- What is the Legals project?
- When will Legals be complete?
- What is the migration path from flash to DHTML?
- Do you have plans to support SVG as a runtime? What about WPF?
- Will the script support be expanded for the DHTML runtime?
- Will the DHTML runtime efficiently compress script and DHTML source code for download?
- Cool! How can I help?
- What is OpenLaszlo 4?
OpenLaszlo 4 extends OpenLaszlo to target multiple runtimes. For our initial release, we are supporting Flash (Flash Players 7, 8 and 9) and browser-native DHTML. Other runtimes are possible, as well. Sun Microsystems has announced that it is working on a port to Java2 ME, and Laszlo Systems has announced that it will be optimizing output for Flash 9 in a future release.
back to top - What is the Legals project?
The term "Legals" was the code name used for the OpenLaszlo 4 project from its inception until its Beta 1 release. The name, Legals, is a tribute to a well-known local restaurant in Boston where a lunch meeting really inspired the team to launch this project.
back to top - When will OpenLaszlo 4 be complete?
OpenLaszlo 4 is currently in its first Beta release (OL4B1). We are targeting a second release in February and a final release by the end of March 2007. Please see the Release Notes for a discussion of the status of features in the OL4B1 release.
back to top - What is the migration path from flash to DHTML? If I start development with flash could I complete it in the DHTML runtime and provide the same user experience?
The full OpenLaszlo language is cross-runtime, and in most cases no changes are necessary to move between runtime targets. Certain features from OpenLaszlo 3.x, such as media embedding and vector graphics, require re-implementation in DHTML and, depending on the complexity of that work, may not be available in the first release of OpenLaszlo 4.0. We try to document all such differences in the release notes.
back to top - Do you have plans to support Java as a runtime? What about SVG? WPF?
We are focused on the initial set of runtimes at this time (Flash 7/8/9, DHTML). Sun Microsystems, in its Orbit project, is working on a port to Java2ME. Henry Minsky, a member of the OpenLaszlo team, has done a preliminary SVG kernel as a proof-of-concept. If you would like to see an additional runtime built, get involved! The architecture is stable enough that work on additional runtimes can begin.
See the Release Notes for a discussion of the kernel architecture.
back to top - Will the script language change in OpenLaszlo 4?
OpenLaszlo 4 includes improvements to its support for JavaScript, incorporating elements of the draft ECMAScript Release 4 standard. The full details are available in the OL4 B1 release notes.
- Will the DHTML runtime efficiently compress script and DHTML source code for download?
We expect to be competitive with other offerings in that area, and will certainly be using compression both of Javascript and on the wire to reduce overhead. Please see the Release Notes for a discussion of our current approaches to compression.
back to top - Cool! How can I help?
Become a contributor! See the page Be a Contributor for more information.
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