Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the AppProjector^TM (shown in red). The AppProjector^TM consists of a small servlet that runs in the middle tier (the Web Communicator and Web Activator), and a generic client that downloads to the end user's browser and is cached the first time the application is started (the Web Viewer and Web Communicator).

To build an application, developers need only to specify the screens of the application in XML, and implement an API consisting of simple Java interfaces on the middle tier to provide the data sources behind the screens. The UI controls on the screen are declaratively bound to the data sources by name using a data aware controls architecture. This extremely well separated Model View Controller (MVC) design allows multiple user interface controls to automatically update themselves whenever the mid-tier data changes. The AppProjector^TM automatically keeps the mid-tier data in synch with the client without any additional programming.

Asperon's special high-compatibility Java client is capable of running on over 87% of browsers without the need for any client-side installation.* Because application screens are interpreted, the same client is used for all applications. This eliminates the need for developers to test their applications in every possible combination of browser and operating system.

The combination of browser compatibility and desktop-like user interactivity provides the end user with a powerful, interactive user experience while you benefit from reduced development costs, and a zero-install web application.

New Features in Version 2.1


* The AppProjector^TM is compatible with all Java Virtual Machines (JVMs) from version 1.1 onward including those in Netscape 4.5 and later and Microsoft IE 5.0 and later. According to market research sponsored by Adobe, over 87% of all web-connected computers have some version of Java pre-installed.