Typically RIAs take longer to build and polish than the slightly more lightweight HTML/AJAX combos (which some have argued are killer apps too.) If you want to

Typically RIAs take longer to build and polish than the slightly more lightweight HTML/AJAX combos (which some have argued are killer apps too.) If you want to create something big and you see relatively simple web apps dominating with RIAs often becoming bottom feeders (twitter clients are a great example) then what technology would you choose to build the next big idea? Many RIAs do not run as smoothly as they could because they are jam packed with graphics and effects or there is just too much information flowing between client and server to run smoothly. This does not allow you to churn out many quick prototypes to try and hook users. Also, for many users standard internet applications are rich enough. I have seen plenty of really cool RIAs but none with a chance to play int he mainstream (save for maybe the Twitter clients.)