Four years ago, Alpha Software set out to create a tool to help developers reduce the time it takes to develop Web 2.0/Rich Internet Applications that require an intense understanding of Ajax techniques. Alpha Five Version 10 with codeless Ajax is the culmination of that endeavor.

"Alpha Five Version 10 with codeless Ajax is the first development tool that lets people rapidly build Ajax-powered Web applications with all the richness and speed of desktop applications, without having to write a single line of code - unless they want to," says Richard Rabins, co-chairman of Alpha Software.

The upgrade includes 70 new features that span Web development, desktop development, the Xbasic language, Xdialog, and the Alpha Application Server. The result is the ability to build rich applications 5 to 10 times faster than applications built using PHP, Visual Studio .NET, Ruby, Java, or JBuilder, Rabins notes.

Alpha Five Version 10 does all of the coding behind the scenes once a developer specifies what he or she wants and expects from the product under development. Applications can include JavaScript windows and conditional show/hide display of regions.

The upgrade features a tightly integrated security framework and a report writer that requires no third-party tools. Any third-party JavaScript library can be used with the product.

"The codeless Ajax capabilities allow users to drastically cut back on the time spent writing code. Organizations can produce more desktop and database solutions in less time, helping them make more money faster," Rabins says.

Competitors include Microsoft Access, FileMaker, PHP, Visual Studio .NET, Ruby, and Java.

The development tool is priced at $349. The application server that allows a user to deploy a Web application to an unlimited number of users per server is $599.

For more information, go to: www.alphasoftware.com