Comsultia

XUL

Applications created using XUL can be directly compared to any other native desktop applications as to most users they provide the same interface components. Such applications have the advantage that they can be accessed directly using desktop icon or using a Mozilla browser from a web page .

XUL is the technology behind products such as Mozilla Firefox or the email client Mozilla Thunderbird. XUL makes creating platform independent desktop applications easy as implementations for various operating systems exist. Every application can have a rich user interface with common elements such as icons, images, menus, lists etc. Applications created using this technology are beneficial to both developers and end users because developers can use W3C standards used in dynamic web development to create native looking and responsive desktop applications for users. This enables WebCom engineers to harness their vast experience in web application development.

For example XUL enables us to create complex interactive intranet systems which would have to be developed using other techniques which are not similar to web development. XUL applications have all the benefits of web applications as they do not have to be installed and can be accessed using a common web address from your Mozilla compatible browser.

Before the raise of web technologies as a standard for creating multiplatform applications, which could be run from any device (PC, Mobile, PDA) and operating system (Windows, Linux...), developing multiplatform applications was not an easy task as developers had to use complex and often licensed products to achieve their goals. Such development was not optimal for developers. Another XUL advantage is that GUI source code can be inspected as in HTML development .

There are of course other multiplatform development technologies such as Java J2EE or .Net technologies. but they are not similar to web application development using W3C technologies. XUL can be used as front-end for applications implemented in the mentioned technologies.

XUL fills up a missing link between desktop and web based applications . Applications created using XUL look native for the user but the technology behind it is the same as in web application development. Additionally XUL has better integration between the host system and browser as web based applications because it can access more resources than web applications  if allowed by user.

Using XUL we can create complex intranet systems, content management systems (CMS), administrative user interfaces or simple and trivial applications which are easily integrated into desktop environment. The success of Mozilla Firefox and the email client Thunderbird are the best example.

If you are looking for a technology that can transfer your existing applications to the desktop or if  you are looking for a multiplatform application development then we believe that XUL is the right technology to be used.

For more information feel free to contact us !