OpenLaszlo is a discontinued open-source platform for the development and delivery of rich web applications. It is released under the

Open Source Initiative The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is the steward of the Open Source Definition, the set of rules that define open source software. It is a California public-benefit nonprofit corporation,_with_501(c)(3).html" ;"title="110. - 6910./ref> is a type o ...

certified Common Public License (CPL). The OpenLaszlo platform consists of the LZX programming language and the OpenLaszlo Server. LZX is an

Extensible Markup Language Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. T ...

(XML) and

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior, of ...

description language similar in spirit to

XUL XUL ( ), which stands for XML User Interface Language, is a user interface markup language developed by Mozilla. XUL is an XML dialect for writing graphical user interfaces, enabling developers to write user interface elements in a manner sim ...

MXML MXML is an XML-based user interface markup language first introduced by Macromedia in March 2004. Application developers use MXML in combination with ActionScript to develop rich web applications, with products such as Apache Flex. Adobe ...

, and

Extensible Application Markup Language Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML ) is a declarative XML-based language that Microsoft developed for initializing structured values and objects. It is available under Microsoft's Open Specification Promise. XAML is used extensively ...

(XAML). LZX enables a declarative, text-based development process that supports rapid prototyping and software development best practices. It is designed to be familiar to traditional web application developers who are familiar with

HTML The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaSc ...

and JavaScript. OpenLaszlo Server is a

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

servlet A Jakarta Servlet (formerly Java Servlet) is a Java software component that extends the capabilities of a server. Although servlets can respond to many types of requests, they most commonly implement web containers for hosting web application ...

that compiles LZX applications into executable binaries for targeted run-time environments.

Deployment

Laszlo applications can be deployed as traditional Java servlets, which are compiled and returned to the browser dynamically. This method requires that the web server is also running the OpenLaszlo server. Alternatively, Laszlo applications can be compiled from LZX into

Dynamic HTML Dynamic HTML, or DHTML, is a term which was used by some browser vendors to describe the combination of HTML, style sheets and client-side scripts (JavaScript, VBScript, or any other supported scripts) that enabled the creation of interactive ...

(DHTML) or a

binary Binary may refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * Binary number, a representation of numbers using only two digits (0 and 1) * Binary function, a function that takes two arguments * Binary operation, a mathematical operation that ta ...

SWF file, and loaded statically into an existing web page. This method is known as SOLO deployment. Applications deployed in this manner lack some functionality of servlet-contained files, such as the ability to consume

SOAP Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

web services and Java RPC remote procedure calls.

Licensing

OpenLaszlo is released under the Common Public License by Laszlo Systems.

Adopters

Laszlo-powered rich web applications have been deployed by

Earthlink EarthLink is an American Internet service provider. It went public on NASDAQ in January 1997. Much of the company's growth was via acquisition; by 2000, ''The New York Times'' described Earthlink as the "second largest Internet service provider ...

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

IBM WebSphere IBM WebSphere refers to a brand of proprietary computer software products in the genre of enterprise software known as "application and integration middleware". These software products are used by end-users to create and integrate applications wi ...

Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Manage ...

Behr Behr is a given name and surname that derives from the German ''Bär'' (''bear''). Older forms of the name, ''Bela'' and ''Belo'' (related to the old High German ''Belo''), occur in the Memorbuch. The diminutive forms ''Baeril'' ''(Berel)'' and ' ...

, Pandora, La Quinta Hotels, DeanForAmerica.com and Time.gov. Laszlo Systems, makers of OpenLaszlo, is developing their own software based on the Laszlo Presentation Server. One is a mail client ( Laszlo Mail) which is similar to Microsoft Outlook or

Mozilla Thunderbird Mozilla Thunderbird is a free and open-source cross-platform email client, personal information manager, news client, RSS and chat client developed by the Mozilla Foundation and operated by subsidiary MZLA Technologies Corporation. The projec ...

, but which operates within the web browser. Another, called Webtop, is an integrated application environment for enterprise use.

Version history

* OpenLaszlo 3.x – supports

Flash Player Adobe Flash Player (known in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome as Shockwave Flash) is computer software for viewing multimedia contents, executing rich Internet applications, and streaming audio and video content created on the ...

, versions 6, 7, 8 * OpenLaszlo 4.x – supports Flash Player, versions 7, 8, 9, 10, and

DHTML Dynamic HTML, or DHTML, is a term which was used by some browser vendors to describe the combination of HTML, style sheets and client-side scripts (JavaScript, VBScript, or any other supported scripts) that enabled the creation of interactive ...

Project history

Laszlo was founded by David Temkin. OpenLaszlo was originally called the Laszlo Presentation Server (LPS). Development began in the fall of 2001. Preview versions were released to select partners throughout 2002. Several of these were used for the first deployed Laszlo application, for Behr paint. The first general release of LPS was in early 2002. In October 2004, Laszlo Systems released the full

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the w ...

to the Laszlo Presentation Server under the

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was the first copyleft for general ...

(GPL), and initiated the OpenLaszlo project. In 2005, coincident with the release of version 3.0, the name of the Laszlo Presentation Server was changed to OpenLaszlo. Timeline * 2000: Prototyping begins * 2001: Development begins * 2002: LPS preview releases; first deployed Laszlo application (Behr) * 2003: LPS 1.0, 1.1 released; deployed applications (Yahoo!, Earthlink) * 2004: LPS 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 released; LPS open sourced * 2005: OpenLaszlo 3.0, 3.1 released; name changed to OpenLaszlo * 2006: OpenLaszlo 3.2, 3.3 released * 2007: OpenLaszlo 4.0 released * 2008: OpenLaszlo 4.1 released * 2008: OpenLaszlo 4.2 released * 2009 February: OpenLaszlo 4.2.0.1 released * 2010 October: OpenLaszlo 4.9.0. released * 2012 February: OpenLaszlo is acquired by Critical Path, Inc. * 2013 December: Critical Path, Inc. is acquired by Openwave Messaging

Naming

The name Laszlo is of Hungarian origin. The project was named after the cat of Peter Andrea, a graphic designer and co-founder of Laszlo Systems. The cat, in turn, was named in honor of the Hungarian constructivist painter and photographer

László Moholy-Nagy László Moholy-Nagy (; ; born László Weisz; July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the ...

References

External links

*. {{Adobe Flash Ajax (programming) User interface markup languages Rich web application frameworks Software using the CPL license