A
rich Internet application (
RIA; sometimes called an Installable Internet Application) is a
Web application that has many of the characteristics of desktop
application software, typically delivered by way of a
site-specific browser, a browser
plug-in, an independent
sandbox, extensive use of
JavaScript, or a
virtual machine.
Adobe Flash,
JavaFX, and
Microsoft Silverlight are currently the three most common
platforms, with desktop browser penetration rates around 96%, 76%, and 66%, respectively (as of August 2011).