ICEsoft Challenges Conventional AJAX; Unveils full vision for its no-JavaScripting Enterprise AJAX solution for Java.

SAN FRANCISCO -- AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML) is revolutionizing the web by delivering a far richer level of user interaction to web applications. However, as Java developers are finding, the revolution comes at a heavy price.

Because AJAX requires developers to develop in JavaScript, not to mention manually integrate client-side components with server-side business applications, the platform threatens to actually complicate web applications and raise development costs. Clearly businesses want the benefits of rich Internet applications--but not at the price of unmanageable code with unpredictable behavior.

To address this unnecessary complexity and overhead, ICEsoft plans to unveil ICEfaces, its no-JavaScripting Java-based AJAX application development environment, at the 2006 JavaOne Conference in May. ICEfaces is a complete rich web application development and deployment solution that is more accessible to existing Java EE developers than conventional AJAX solutions because it is based on established Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) standards. It integrates with leading Java development tools such as Java Studio Creator and Eclipse, and deploys to application servers from leading Java EE vendors.

Rather than requiring developers to have knowledge of intricate client-side JavaScript code, ICEfaces users can work within the well-understood application development dynamics of Java. ICEfaces' fundamental ease-of-use lets developers create and maintain richer, more responsive enterprise AJAX-based applications more efficiently, and at lower cost, than through conventional AJAX techniques.

"ICEfaces provides significant advantages over AJAX solutions that require JavaScripting," says Chris Erickson, CEO of ICEsoft. "ICEfaces gives enterprise Java developers the benefits of AJAX rich web applications in a pure Java solution that integrates seamlessly into their existing Java EE infrastructure, tools, and skills."

"ICEfaces is really breaking the mold for what AJAX applications can truly mean for the enterprise," said Ron Schmelzer, Senior Analyst at ZapThink. "For most companies today, AJAX represents a hodgepodge of scripts and widgets that require the developer to know too much about how the client operates, and has very little maintainability and predictability as the quantity of AJAX explodes on the client. ICEsoft faces this challenge head on by thinking first about the needs of building rich applications in the context of existing client-side heterogeneity."

One of ICEfaces' key advantages is Server-Initiated Rendering, a unique server-side feature that asynchronously initiates updates to the client user interface. This powerful capability enables developers to create web applications that update instantly in response to changes to the server-side state. Server-Initiated Rendering also supports broadcasting a single state change across multiple client sessions, making collaborative applications easier to create.

"For example, a stock ticker application created with ICEfaces can instantly update the client web page whenever the price of stock changes, without the user or client-side JavaScript initiating the update," explained Steve Maryka, CTO at ICEsoft. "In a traditional web application, the user would need to refresh the page to receive the updated price information."

JavaOne Demo

Visitors to the ICEsoft booth at JavaOne, to be held May 16-19 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, will enter a "JavaScripting-Free Zone" featuring demonstrations of ICEfaces. Attendees will learn:

--How ICEfaces Server-Initiated Rendering can automatically keep a user interface in sync with server-side application state changes, without resorting to HTTP polling or user-initiated refreshes.

--How the ICEfaces Component Suite provides a complete set of rich Java Server Faces (JSF) components that go beyond standard JSF libraries with dynamic trees, menus, tab panels, drag and drop, and client-side effects.

--How ICEfaces AJAX applications can be efficiently developed using established visual design tools provided by the industry standard Java IDEs that developers are already using - with absolutely no JavaScript development required.

ICEfaces Community Edition 1.0 is freely available for download, development, and deployment under a no-cost commercial license. For additional information about ICEfaces, or to download ICEfaces Community Edition, please visit www.icesoft.com.

About ICEsoft Technologies:

ICEsoft Technologies, Inc., The Rich Web Company, is the leading provider of standards-compliant, AJAX-based solutions for developing and deploying J2EE, rich Internet applications.

The company's portfolio of enterprise level Java products includes ICEfaces, an AJAX application framework that enables J2EE application developers to easily create and deploy thin-client rich web applications in pure Java. Visit www.icesoft.com.