Rich Internet application

Web based application having desktop like GUI is popularly known as RIA(Rich Internet Application). I need to develop such a rich interactive web based application. In old days we used to have only few solutions - Java applet, Flash, Dynamic html. Nowadays there are loads of frameworks which provide desktop like experience. These frameworks are based on ajax technology.

I thought it would be easy to select the best framework for my need. But on the contrary the choices are many, that its difficult to choose. The best part of open source technology is for every problem there are numerous solutions. But the worst part is choosing the right technology for your need. I wish, I can find an easy comparison chart somewhere.

I did some search and found these frameworks - Adobe Flex, extJS, Jboss Richfaces, IceFaces, Oracle ADF, JavaFX, Silverlight, GWT, IT Mill Toolkit, ZK, OpenLaszlo, BackBase, Echo, Morfik, Haxe, YUI, pyjamas, DWR, Prototype. There could be many more frameworks available. Over the next few days I will be evaluating these list to find the popularity, support, out-of-the-box GUI components, underlying technology and any other parameter which helps in selecting few solutions. Once I am down to two or three solutions, I would like to develop a simple application to select the right solution.