Wednesday, August 07, 2002

The Richness of the Web I read a lot of .NET mailing lists, and it seems like a very predominant theme these days is people asking how to make their browser app richer, and act less like a browser app. To these people I want to say: Learn Windows Forms. Go read things like Chris Sells' description of zero-install deployment of Windows Forms apps over the web. You'll probably be a lot happier when you stop treating the browser like an application development platform. Let's stop deluding ourselves: the web browser is a shitty tool for application development. It's a huge time-sucking pain in the ass that is being bent to do things it was never intended to do. Use the right tools! [The .NET Guy] Can everyone please re-read the above two more times very slowly?! This message has got to get out there more. The company I work for is just about committed to dropping our thick-client solution in favor of our thin-client. Now I'm busy writing a response to that decision -- it's part whitepaper, part rant, part clarification. I need to get it done and send it out. I really don't agree with the decision -- especially with what's now available with Windows Forms and .NET. [Wrinkled Paper] We got on board long ago with my current project.  We are 16 months into an 18 month rewrite of a Win32/Win16 application.  The new target platform blends Web Forms and Win Forms using them each for what they are best at.  We are doing dynamic deployment of all Winform bits including the controls we use, etc.  Life is by and large good.  There are still some niggling bits about policy distribution in an "Internet" as opposed to Intranet environment but we are biting the bullet and forcing our users to run an unmanaged install prior to using the first Winform that installs our policies.  Seems like an all right compromise but not one that everyone may be willing to make.  Get rid of this issue and I think Winforms will take over much of the area that Web forms currently dominate. 9:55:41 AM