The Rich Web Clients Activity contains the work within W3C on Web Applications.
With the ubiquity of Web browsers and Web document formats across a range of platforms and devices, many developers are using the Web as an application environment. Examples of applications built on rich Web clients include reservation systems, online shopping or auction sites, games, multimedia applications, calendars, maps, chat applications, weather displays, clocks, interactive design applications, stock tickers, office document and spreadsheet applications, currency converters, and data entry/display systems.
Web client applications typically have some form of programmatic control. They may run within the browser or within another host application. A Web client application is typically downloaded on demand each time it is "executed," allowing a developer to update the application for all users as needed. Such applications are usually smaller than regular desktop applications in terms of code size and functionality, and may have interactive rich graphical interfaces.
The work of the Web Applications (WebApps) WG covers both APIs and formats. APIs are the assorted scripting methods that are used to build rich Web applications, mashups, Web 2.0 sites. Standardizing APIs improves interoperability and reduces site development costs. Formats covers certain markup languages, including Widgets for deploying small Web applications outside the browser, and XBL for skinning applications.
The WebApps WG has brought several of its deliverables further along the Recommendation Track. Several API specifications have had recent Working Draft publications, including Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Events, XMLHttpRequest, XMLHttpRequest Level 2, Server-Sent Events, Web Sockets API, Web Database, WebSimpleDB API, Web Storage, and Web Workers.
In addition, the Widget family of specifications has advanced, with updated public drafts of the following documents: Widgets 1.0: Requirements, Widgets 1.0: Packaging and Configuration, Widgets 1.0: URI Scheme, Widgets 1.0: APIs and Events, Widgets 1.0: Access Requests Policy (WARP), and Widgets 1.0: Digital Signatures
The active participation in the WebApps WG by all major browser vendors and many other experts and key technology interests have made it a productive and popular group to join and to bring work to, and the group continues to balance new work with the completion of existing deliverables. The full list of WebApps WG deliverables and their publication status may be found on the WebApps WG wiki.
The CDF Working Group remains in hibernation pending an updated implementation report. No significant Team resources are be dedicated to this Working Group, other than coordination with implementers as progress is made. Since there is currently good progress on implementation, the expectation is that these specifications will proceed to Recommendation status, and the CDF WG will be closed.
The Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Events specification, which has undergone significant changes to improve internationalized keyboard and mobile device text input, is expected to transition to LC in the coming months.
Finally, the WebApps Working Group has seen wide uptake of its Web IDL specification among other W3C groups, and anticipates a new public draft soon based on numerous revisions. The WebApps WG is coordinating with ECMA TC-39 to ensure that the features described in Web IDL align with recent developments in the ECMAScript languages (such as Javascript).
| Group | Chair | Team Contact | Charter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compound Document Formats Working Group (participants) | None | Doug Schepers | Chartered until 31 May 2010 |
| Web Applications Working Group (participants) | Charles McCathieNevile, Arthur Barstow | Doug Schepers, Michael(tm) Smith | Chartered until 30 June 2010 |
This Activity Statement was prepared for the November 2009 W3C Advisory Committee Meeting (Members only) per section 5 of the W3C Process Document. Generated from group data.
Doug Schepers, Rich Web Clients Activity Lead
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