DIF is a J2EE application framework striving for easiness of development, flexibility and simplicity.
A great deal of effort was put to make the framework adapt to the developer and not the other way around. This will require less learning time for a newcomer and an ability to produce a better application for a seasoned framework user. Having an 100%-Java programming (no XML!) interface allows faster and simple development processes and thus DIF can be classified as a RAD (Rapid Application Development) framework. A lot of focus was put on the convention over configuration over coding principle and several automations were created to aid the programmer. These features endow the framework with a very high degree of easiness of use.
DIF was planned to support integration with virtually any tecnhology you need. The use of IoC allow the connection of separate modules, making it well suited for evolutive environments and user customization.
Another non-functional requirement was performance so DIF was bestowed with several mechanisms that increase execution speed.
As for the presentation layer, DIF offers it's adopters full Web 2.0 UI support. A set of reusable visual components is shipped with DIF allowing the programmer to set a Web 2.0 UI in no time. Accessibility and internationalization were also development concerns and as such the framework is prepared to cope with the interinsic problems of these features. The presentation layer components offer simpler version for accessible environments and an efficient message system allows easy message translation.
Why stop on the Web? DIF offers a channel abstraction mechanism that allows development of services for other technologies such as SMS or Web Services.
If all of this is not enough for you, you can always extend the framework to suit your needs. A large number of hot spots and the use of IoC offer a flexible architecture for extending the framework.
Last, but definitely not the least, there was a strong focus on quality. A test-driven development methodology, coverage reports and the creation of a quality assurance guide (QAG) to whose DIF adhere strictly aid in guaranteeing the product quality.