JavaFX is the RIA technology from Sun. Sun is behind others in the RIA space, including Adobe and Microsoft, but is looking to make up for lost time through its expertise in the Java community.
Sun Microsystems is rolling out the preview release of JavaFX, its rich client platform for building RIAs (rich Internet applications). Sun made the announcement July 31 and made the JavaFX Preview release available here.
The JavaFX Preview release provides Web scripters, designers and Java developers with a preview of the runtime and tools needed to create RIAs on the Java platform. Developers can download the JavaFX Preview release, explore the code samples and tutorials, start writing JavaFX applications and provide their feedback to Sun , said Jacob Lehrbaum, senior product line manager of JavaFX for Sun.