Ron,
> And these are also important issues!
>
> Using Python/Perl/Java (am I missing one?) would mitigate platform
> dependence.
Yes. But she was comparing rapid app dev kits, not programming languages;
Delphi and VB are fast GUI-builders.
> Wouldn't these (especially 3 & 5) be solved by Terminal Services.
> #3 would also be partly (or totally, with some care) solved by having
> the app residing on a network drive.
Yes. But if you're going to do that, why bother with client-side
programming? I suppose if your app needs advantages 1 & 2, I guess ...
And applying app changes across sessions on a terminal server is still
significantly more trouble than applying a change to a web app. With a PHP
app, you just save the new file in /wwwroot, and bang! It's applied to all
users.
> > 6) Vastly more cumbersome external access for work-from-home users.
>
> How so? I'd think that "traditional" C/S would be faster, because
> certain "objects" can be intelligently cached by the client, on
> start-up, for example. Don't look-up lists have to be sent across
> the wire every time on web pages?
If you want home access to a client side app, you have to mess with VPNs and
firewalls and/or remote terminal services. Ever try providing support for
150 user with gods know what running on their home machines, along with more
viruses than megabytes of ram? (we had a fun conversation when the IT dept
at one client got a phone call from a staff member who couldn't figure out
how to install Mozilla. Turns out the staffer had an Amiga)
For a web app, you just route a path from the web server to the internet.
Then tell the user to use a brower. Very easy.
From my perspective, the age of the "thin client" is here.
--
Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco