I. INTRODUCTIONRich Internet Applications (RIAs) are very complex Web based systems [1], [2]. RIAs are encompassed with various types of components, integrated in diverse ways, making the RIAs more complex systems [3]. Numerous Technologies and Techniques (TTs), frameworks, libraries, and tools had been introduced over the last decade for the development of these components of RIAs [4]. However, these TTs, frameworks, libraries, and tools do not improve the fundamental concepts in the core of the RIAs [2], and the complexity remains due to the lack of realization of the abstract architectural formalism of the RIAs. Moreover, these TTs may introduce new layers of complexity and learning curves into development. Therefore, in the terms of the complexity, the advancement of TTs and tools does not provide much assistance.Even though lots of tools had been introduced and many researches had been conducted in the domain of RIAs, still few researches have focused on the abstract fundamental concepts of the RIAs; and standard definitions for these concepts have still not been articulated [5]. Definitions of the concepts provide precise common understanding of the subject towards proper utilization of the concept. If we can realize the fundamental abstract (by the means of TTs independent) architectural elements of RIAs and their characteristics well enough and strongly define them, the complexity can be reduced; since the complexity encloses the difficulties in understanding the software systems [6].Our ongoing research intends to reduce the complexity of the RIAs by identifying the fundamental abstract architectural elements of RIAs, specifying their characteristics, and introducing terms and definitions for them; in the direction of introducing an abstract architectural style for RIAs. This paper focuses on the rich communication model of the RIAs, which can be seen as the power of the RIAs (This is further discussed in section III). This rich communication model has two communication modes according to the direction of the data transmitted: 1) data-pull and 2) data-push. In data-pull mode, the client requests and fetches data (or pulls data) from the server, based on the traditional request-response model. In data-push mode, the server-components push the data to the client-component(s) when needed, without receiving a request from the client. In this paper we focus only on the data-pull mode.This paper discusses the fundamental characteristics of the rich communication model of the RIAs, as identified through the literature survey and empirical evidence gained from a series of experiments; then proposes a definition, indicating the limitations of the general term "Asynchronous Communication", which is currently used to denote this rich communication model. Based on this definition, the paper also delivers a term and a definition for the simplest abstract technique, which can be implemented using this rich communication model; which is exploited in the popular technique named Asynchronous Javascript And Xml (AJAX) [7...

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Abstract-Rich Internet Applications have gained a good demand in web engineering, and AJAX plays a major role as a script based technique to develop Rich Internet Applications, even though its adoption is considered difficult due to various complexities. If the root cause for these complexities can be identified and the difficulties can be overcome, we can simplify the AJAX based Rich Internet Applications engineering and support the Rapid Application Development methodology to produce Rich Web Apps faster, while maintaining the quality. We have identified the importance of a general architecture for Rich Internet Applications -which is capable of addressing the difficulties in AJAX adoption -and we propose some essential features which need to be expected from the general architecture; based on the knowledge gained from a survey and a series of experiments. These features are supposed to be used, to design a general hybrid Rich Internet Application architecture -which increases the support in Rapid Application Development -in our ongoing research.Index Terms-AJAX, rich internet applications, complexities, architecture, rapid application development.

There is a wide range of web-based applications, which use a rich communication model such as Rich Internet Applications, mobile apps, cloud-based systems, Internet of Things based systems, etc.; however, a proper term to address them all and a definition, which covers and explains the common characteristics of them are missing. A definition of a concept is important as the definition provides a precise common understanding of the focused artifacts, which helps in increasing the realization of these artifacts towards proper utilization of them. We propose the umbrella term Rich Webbased Application to address the aforementioned types of applications, and also propose a definition for it, aligning to the common architectural characteristics of these applications. In addition, we deliver a set of taxonomies to classify the techniques and technologies related to the development of Rich Web-based Applications, in the direction of improving the understanding of the proper utilization of them. In future, we expect to introduce an architectural style for these Rich Webbased Applications, based on the proposed definition.

The development aspects of rich web-based applications have evolved; however, abstract concepts, like styles and patterns, are still lacking. If an abstract style for rich web-based applications is available, it can support the whole engineering process in many ways, like assisting in designing aspects and the system’s evolution. We have produced an abstract architectural style named RiWAArch style for standard rich web-based applications, and we are working on extending the same to realize integrating push-communication. Push-communication has become a contemporary requirement in developing features like real-time notifications in rich web-based applications. However, the features to be expected from a style to realize the integration of the push-communication are not yet recognized. This concept paper proposes a set of features to be expected from a style for push-communication-integrated rich web-based applications. Our ongoing research will later utilize these features to form requirements and design a comprehensive style by extending the RiWAArch style to realize the abstract features of integrating true push-communication into rich web-based applications.

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