Webtop allows for simple integration using XML for existing applications. Java-based applications need only to implement a simple interface that allows for the exchange of XML data. Other applications can be integrated using forwarding of XML requests over HTTP or other mechanisms.

Much of the benefit of Webtop is focused around optimizing performance when running multiple in-browser applications. On both the client and the server, Webtop delivers components that make a multiple-application suite practical from both a development and a performance standpoint. Applications developed using the Webtop framework and accompanying best practices will perform much better than comparable functionality developed using only built-in OpenLaszlo capabilities.

Webtop is a higher-level framework that enables the delivery not just of single rich applications, but also of integrated application suites, including virtual “desktops” on the web. Webtop takes rich Internet applications to the next level by substantially increasing the sophistication of software that can be delivered as a service. It also adds a level of modularity to development and deployment by allowing individual applications to be developed separately, yet presented as a unified interface in users’ eyes.

The security mechanism used by Webtop is standard Java cryptography from the javax.crypto library. The specific crypto algorithms within a Webtop instance are completely configurable. Furthermore, Webtop can be configured to use a custom cryptography library. Webtop relies on well-tested and understood principles of secure web-delivery: token-based authentication in conjunction with HTTPS.

Webtop is built on OpenLaszlo and is dependent on OpenLaszlo supporting DHTML as an alternative runtime to Adobe Flash. With the pending release of OpenLaszlo 4.1, which qualifies as recommended status for compiling to both Flash and DHTML, we are pursuing a version of Webtop to also support DHTML.

Under the current licensing agreement, you have a 30 day free period to evaluate Webtop for your own internal prototyping and education. Developers can also license the Webtop SDK as part of our support programs to continue development. We also offer a variety of partner programs including reseller, OEM/ISV, consulting, training, and technology programs. Please email us at if you are interested in becoming a Laszlo partner.

Developers obtain a Webtop SDK License as one of the benefits of our Laszlo Developer Network (LDN) program to develop a Webtop solution. For production deployment, Webtop follows a simple subscription-based licensing model that is not tied to CPUs or Servers.  Fees are based per Webtop and follow a simple user-based  tiered model. Please see our pricing page or contact sales or your account manager for more information.

Yes, Webtop ships with a built-in Mail and Contacts application, which can be branded and extended to work as a part of your core application of a communications portal or an enterprise dashboard. Other exciting, productive and fun-to-use applications are on Laszlo's roadmap including calendaring and real-time messaging. Of course, Webtop is designed to support OpenLaszlo applications from any source, including applications built by Webtop licensees themselves.

Webtop provides a number of key benefits for developing and deploying applications, including:

• Modular Development & Applications
  

Modular service creation/delivery platform allows a structured and compartmentalized means of delivering new services to users. As a result, it is possible to design and develop different aspects of a multi-application project separately and concurrently. The availability of additional modules from Laszlo and others is a huge benefit to forward to development.

• SmartObject^TM

The advanced data model provides automatic support for drag and drop within and across applications via data types called SmartObjects. Webtop applications can define their own SmartObjects. Once defined, any other application may leverage the definition and behaviors of the SmartObject.

• Flexible Layouts

While Webtop instances don't have to have conventional windows, you can use Webtop's skinning capabilities along with its replaceable window manager, to build a flexible column or grid based display. Build applications that remember your users' settings with resizable, moveable and dockable modules that grow and shrink as necessary.

Laszlo Webtop, the Web 2.0 Desktop^TM, provides the industry's fastest path for delivering multiple Web 2.0-based RIA applications that seamlessly interact across popular browsers and devices. Now in version 1.2, Laszlo Webtop is available in bundled solutions for three target markets: service providers, enterprises and developers. The wide-ranging appeal of Laszlo Webtop makes it ideal for internal or consumer-facing corporate deployments, varying from financial dashboards to consumer communications consoles to enriched enterprise portals.

Yes. Although “Ajax” means different things to different people, it’s generally understood that it relates to the advanced use of JavaScript and XML to provide browser-based applications that resemble desktop applications. Webtop is built on OpenLaszlo, which is an advanced Ajax development platform. OpenLaszlo uses Ajax techniques, along with other elements, to support the creation of rich Internet applications. Furthermore, with the pending release of OpenLaszlo 4.1, which qualifies as recommended status for compiling to both Flash and DHTML, we are pursuing a version of Webtop to also support DHTML.

Webtop is applicable to a wide variety of use cases across a number of market verticals. However, the successful early adoption of Laszlo Webtop has led to the development of strategic bundled solutions for three target markets: service providers, enterprises and developers. Any ISV or application provider whose offering consists of a set of interrelated applications that require serious interactivity can also benefit from Webtop. Examples include personal communication, financial dashboards, content management applications, business intelligence applications, and more.

A Webtop-based application supports any Web browser enabled with the Flash 7 (or later) player. Note that Flash 8 is required if Mail or Contacts will be deployed.

• Windows XP or Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux
• Recommend Pentium III processor or equivalent
  

The recommended system requirements for deploying Laszlo Webtop are as follows:

• Processors Supported
• Intel compatibles (x86)
• 1 Ghz CPU or greater with 1 GB RAM
• UltraSPARC T1 processor
• Server Software
• SUN JVM v1.5 or higher
• Tomcat v5.5
• MySQL 5.0
• Operating Systems
• Linux Kernel 2.6 in 64 and 32 bit modes
• Solaris x86

Webtop evolved from two different trends. First, we saw that many Laszlo customers were building multi-application dashboards or portals, and were incurring significant expensive, one-off infrastructure work expenses. Second, our Laszlo Mail customers have been requesting the ability to extend Laszlo Mail with OpenLaszlo. Webtop solves both problems by providing a common “container” or foundation for multi-application environments, and now supportsa new, refactored version of Mail and Contacts that run inside Webtop.

From a deployer's point of view, Webtop includes:

• A modular service creation/delivery platform that allows a structured, modular, and easy-to-administer means of delivering new value-added services to users

• An API framework that optimizes and consolidates network interactions across modules including functions to operate on large data sets and service orchestration

• Better end-user responsiveness, lower bandwidth utilization, and faster development of modules as compared to basic OpenLaszlo development

• A flexible and consistent customization of branding and look-and-feel

• A way to add new services by licensing modules from Laszlo, developing new modules using OpenLaszlo, or tapping into the OpenLaszlo ecosystem of application developers

• A means to leverage existing investment into OpenLaszlo development by turning stand-alone applications into modules, which can be reused in various Webtop configurations

OpenLaszlo is an open-source platform for the development of rich Internet applications. Webtop is a framework built on top of the OpenLaszlo platform, allowing multiple OpenLaszlo applications to be integrated into a unified browser-delivered desktop, or 'webtop'. Webtop also provides advanced data management facilities that are important in larger, more-complex applications. The new complementary set of features and functions that Webtop provides take OpenLaszlo to another level of productivity, efficiency and value for enterprises and service providers looking to establish their leadership in the next generation of web applications.

From an end-user point of view, Webtop provides the following capabilities:

• A convenient, one-time login option for access to all applications

• A seamlessly integrated online desktop-like experience with multiple windows that doesn’t require page refreshes

• The ability to easily drag and drop objects between windows and application modules by leveraging SmartObjects

While Webtop can be used at 800 x 600 resolution, it has been optimized for resolutions of 1024 x 768 or greater. We recommend using at least 1024 x 768 resolution where possible, as the experience is significantly better.

When you download you will receive a zip file. Once that’s expanded, you will find:

• A license file: This is an HTML file that describes the terms under which you may use this distribution.

• A Prebuilt Webtop: This Webtop contains Mail & Contacts, with install instructions, client & server files, db setup scripts, ready-to-deploy
• An install directory: The config.html and install.html files in this directory will guide you through installing and setting up Webtop.

• A db directory: This contains some SQL scripts and sample data files that are used to populate the database that Webtop uses for its sample applications.

• The Webtop SDK: The SDK contains the files, instructions, examples etc. to get you started building your own Webtop.
  

• An install directory: The config.html and install.html files in this directory will guide you through installing and setting up Webtop.

• A db directory: This contains some SQL scripts and sample data files that are used to populate the database that Webtop uses for its sample applications.

• An OpenLaszlo WAR file: This is a distribution of OpenLaszlo certified to work against this release of Webtop. This OpenLaszlo distribution also includes a Webtop directory, which includes:

• A Webtop WAR file: This is the servlet that contains the server portions of Webtop

• Complete example code and build scripts so that you can customize or add to the "pre-built webtop" and create your own ready-to-deploy package
• Examples and documentation
• Webtop framework libraries

Yes, Mail supports images in the following ways:

1. As attachments. Any image sent as an attachment can viewed by the recipient by simply clicking on the attachment name and the attachment will open in a new window. In general, selecting an enclosed attachment from the message header allows the user to view or download the file depending on file type. Native file types such as HTML, JPG, PNG and GIF will be opened in a new browser window. Other file types may be saved to the end user's local computer using a standard file save dialog. Most pop-up blockers will not block this action, since it is a user-initiated window open.
2. Inline images. Mail handles inline images in two different ways depending on the browser that is being used to access Mail. If the browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows, then the image(s) will be displayed inline. This works because Mail uses native browser rendering for contents of the email message. If the browser is non-IE, then the images are treated as attachments. Handling inline images in other popular browsers is planned for a future release. In the meantime, users who wish to view inline images inside an email message can simply double click on the message or use the 'Open in Browser' feature found in the Options menu.
   

Mail is compatible with a number of mail servers via IMAP/SMTP. Our product roadmap includes accessing Laszlo Mail from an alternate POP account so you can look for it in an upcoming Mail release.

Mail is available in Webtop for both businesses and ISPs. Pricing information is available on our website .

For Users (Client-side):

• Any web browser with Flash 8 or later
• Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
• Recommend Pentium III processor or equivalent

The Contacts application is designed to handle large contact lists of over 50,000 entries. While this is largely to prove out the scalability of the Webtop framework, and Laszlo has tested with these large datasets, we do not expect them to be the norm.

Contacts application uses simple JDBC to connect to a MySQL database. While it has not been tested with databases other than MySQL, it is designed to be interoperable with any database that has an available JDBC driver.

Laszlo Mail, Contacts and Webtop support unicode and, as a result, will support reading and writing emails, contacts and more in most multi-byte languages. These languages including English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. More information is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/productinfo/faq/#item-1-8.

In addition, these applications and Webtop can be re-skinned and branded in a multi-byte language. However, some of the application functionality is only in English. For example, the alerts (e.g. invalid password) will only be in English.

We have several customers who have already licensed Webtop, including Verizon, CounterPath Solutions, Enterpulse, Roundarch, and Infinite Solutions.

Mail is built on the open source platform, OpenLaszlo, but it is licensed as a commercial application. It has already been licensed to communication service providers wishing to provide an enhanced mail experience to their subscribers.

Webtop is built on the open source platform, OpenLaszlo, but it is licensed as a commercial application.

Yes, however, it should be noted that the first time you use Webtop with Mail it is downloaded and stored in your browser cache. The next time you visit the application, since it is cached in your browser, it will be a lot quicker to load. Relative to other web mail applications, the overall bytes downloaded for a typical session will actually be lower *even for the first time you use the application* and always for later visits. Our viewpoint is that it's better to wait once in order to have a better, faster experience for every subsequent action.

Mail supports IMAP4 (version 4rev1) and is optimized for mail servers with the standard SORT extension installed. While we expect Mail to be compatible with most IMAP4 mail servers, it has been certified against the following products:

• Sun Java ^TM System Messaging Server 6.2
• Cyrus IMAP4 v2.2.12

Support for Webtop developers is available as follows:

• For installation help, please send an email to webtop_install at laszlosystems.com.

• For feedback, whether a compliment or criticism, please send email to webtopfeeedback at laszlosystems.com.

• For development support, please review options available through the standard Laszlo support offerings such as, the Laszlo Developer Network subscription and Developer Incidents or have an annual Webtop support agreement.

Yes, any Webtop application can be re-skinned and branded. Developers can extend Webtop applications via APIs and create new Webtop applications within the same Webtop environment. The Webtop platform and applications are built on OpenLaszlo.

We plan to support off-line access to Webtop in a future release. It will likely utilize a local service like Google Gears.

Yes, you can respond to meeting invitations via email, however, in a future release, you will be able to reply accept, decline or tentative to iCAL meeting invitations.

Laszlo Calendar is a new Web calendaring application in the Laszlo Webtop suite of applications. Calendar allows users to create, manage and share events. Users can subscribe to Web calendars and share calendars with friends. Calendar works seamlessly with Mail and Contacts.

Laszlo Calendar is a complete calendar solution that stores its events in a SQL database.

Calendar event feeds are a popular way to share live calendars across the Web. The de facto Web standard is Webcal to check against hosted iCal files. Most major calendar applications (e.g. Apple iCal, Mozilla Lightning, Google, Yahoo!, etc) can subscribe to a calendar feed and display a read only view of the calendar. Some calendar software will also publish calendars as calendar feeds.

Laszlo Calendar can do both. This makes it easy to share your calendars with friends, co-workers, partners and customers. In turn, you can subscribe to your friend’s calendars or many calendar feeds available on the Web.

Webtop will show reminders for upcoming events.

Yes, users can add HTML links in the Notes section in any event.

We plan to support these in a future release.

You can email events to friends by dragging them into an email. This sends a copy of the event, which they can drag into their Calendar.

We plan to support meetings with invitations and RSVP tracking in a future release.

Yes, publishing a calendar makes it available on a public server, and Laszlo Calendar will provide a URL that you can send via email to those you want to subscribe to it.