Laszlo's products work with Flash, the widespread animation format created by Macromedia that is gradually morphing into a general-purpose tool for designing slick, easy-to-navigate Web pages. Laszlo Presentation Server aims to let developers create Web applications using JavaScript and other common programming languages. The server software takes this code and converts it into the Flash format on the fly. The upshot, according to Laszlo, is that developers can have the benefits of creating Flash-based pages -- such as the elimination of page refreshes and the seamless integration of video content -- without having to learn the complex set of development tools sold by Macromedia. "The end result is very similar to what a Flash guru might attain, but the development process is infinitely more achievable to your average Web professional," said David Temkin, founder and chief technology offier at Laszlo. "We've tried to lower the hurdles...The developer doesn't have to know the microdetails of Flash at all. We take care of it by using Flash as a rendering format." Home improvement specialist Behr has already built a slick, interactive site based on Laszlo's server software. The San Francisco-based software company hopes to engage more developers at this week's JavaOne developers conference in San Francisco. Laszlo Presentation Server is available in three editions -- a free Developers Edition, a subscription-based Enterprise Edition starting at quarterly rate of $4,500 for each server CPU. The software runs on and a light-duty Express Edition priced at a flat $1,000 per CPU.
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