The Browser as a Client

For all of my 25 year career I have wanted to develop platform independant shrink-wrap software. Technically this has been possible for some years now by writing in Java, Perl or Python - with the latter two using TCL to provide a GUI. I resisted this approach for a number of years because:

• For less than practical reasons I was not happy with releasing interpreted code.
• It's inconvenient for the end-user.  None of the interpreters or virtual machines come stock with the operating systems, so the user has to locate these themselves.
  
• Java is the only language that has IDEs to help lay out visual components.
• Most users consider the GUIs produced for Java, Perl or Python software to be a little strange, simply because they aren't native.

As you've probably gathered, one of my most consistent problems has been with the GUI. Admittedly Swing has improved out-of-sight and Eclipse is providing a competitive cross-platform system. Long before either of these alternatives became available I had decided to use a DHTML browser as the front end for the Adept Software Development system. This is something I stand by, too - a DHTML browser of some sort is native to every operating system, is hardware independent, and is an interface that most users know like the back of their mousing hand.

Advantages of The Browser and GUI

• There are plenty of powerful tools for creating outstanding and variable user interfaces.  Any recent HTML editor, in fact. Web designers are entirely familiar with the necessary tools and can provide quality interfaces far beyond those that require a developer to create..
• Familiar user experience - even a user who might feel totally lost within the Java Virtual Machine is likely to be able to handle their browser of choice.
• Full access to the rich media the browser provides natively - including (but not limited to) video, images, PDF, Javascript, Macromedia Flash/Shockwave and Java applets.
• The GUI is only loosely coupled with the server, so changes to the visuals of the interface are non-destructive and simple - often accomplished by simple changes in the style sheet.
• DHTML techniques allow the designer page to be used without change. This means that the designer can update pages without a developer having to go back and translate it into production code again.
• The web server design is inherently multi-user. This means you can run applications at home, access them at work, or provide the tools and data to your workgroup.

Disadvantages of The Browser and GUI

• The browser is great for multi-media and form based work. It is not as suitable for complex interactive programs similar to word processors or spreadsheets. Of course there are many good plugins (Java Applets or Native Active-X components) that will fill many of these types of tasks and still work well with Adept.
• Many believe that HTML, DHTML, XHTML and XML do not provide the best in GUI design. For those with this viewpoint, Adept is a less useful tool.