Hi

I am getting a bit confused about some aspects of direction I should take for new 'greenfield' projects... Firstly, I have done a whole load of Delphi development work and been delighted with the product and with Developer Express' components. Also, I have done some work with VS 2003/2005/2008 using C# for desktop, mobile and web (ASPX) applications. Now I am finding too many choices to make the way forward clear to me.

I need some guidance or thoughts about future my development work which is primarily for business related applications with back-end connections to SQL Server.

Ultimately I want to be able to provide

* a LAN-connected client (Windows PC) with rich user interface

* a LAN or WAN connected client (Browser)

* a Mobile device client (Browser)

* a Mobile device Smart-application

So... I think the first thing is that, with some regret, I need to hang up my Delphi boots at least for new work, as I dont think it will give me the broad coverage for Browser or Mobile Device development work, and instead utilise C# under VS2008. Then, I am seeing choices in the DevExpress component arena.

* .NET Winform &  ASP.NET : 2 sets of controls for 2 types of client developement... not too much confusion so far.

But with the introduction of WPF & Silverlight - being cross-platform etc... I am getting a bit confused. OK, there are not yet so many WPF or Silverlight controls from DevExpress, but I am assuming this will change in time.

How to decide which technology to use in cases where, for example...

* closed-user base (i.e. we will have a defined and known user-base) for applications on LAN & WAN use; could be WinForms or Web and also mobile device

* open-user base (i.e. unknown pool of web users) - web interface

I guess I want the best of all worlds  - the least liklihood of browser compatability issues, the widest supported browser base, the least problems... the richest interface, the least restrictions, the highest performance, the most security, etc...

I realise that there is always a trade-off in these situations.

Is there a 'strengths and weaknesses' matrix for the technologies as a whole as well as the Developer Express and other 3rd party offerings which will compliment the base development products?

Thanks,

Clive

Take a look at RemObjects DataAbstract, particularly if you're interesting in using rich clients rather than web.  It can help with reaching iPhone with the new RO SDK for OS X as well.  Nathaniel Woolls has an interesting framework he's been working on that uses DevEx tools with RO/DA as the plumbing.

http://nwoolls.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/a-coming-tide/

Anyhow, along with DevEx GUI components it's the combination I'm using for basically the same goal (except I'm less interested in web interfaces).  For .NET stuff I think DA LINQ is very cool.  There's just so much flexibility with user interfaces this way.  You could use a web interface, or you could use a Delphi GUI on Windows, Cocoa Touch on the iPhone/iPod Touch, Compact Framework, .NET, WPF, Silverlight, etc.  With Hydra, if there is some Delphi code you don't want to port for whatever reason you can still use it.  Server side you could use Delphi or .NET, whichever meets your goals more adequately.

-Ron

Hey Clive,

Good questions.

RE: "I have done a whole load of Delphi development work and been delighted with the product and with Developer Express' components. . . . "

In the long run, Delphi won out over PowerBuilder for the best Windows desktop biz app development.

One of reasons why I initially trusted DevExpress was because of their Delphi history.  Most of these .NET component companies are new - they don't have any business history.  So, I figured DX really knew the app development side. 

Way too many .NET developers don't know anything about real world ERP business development.  Why would they?  To date, none of the top biz apps use .NET for more than "window"  dressing (all puns intended here).  This is even true of all of the ERP systems acquired by MS (~25 bought and 4 kept with Dynamics).  It is the same with Java . . . IBM technology apps are written in COBOL and RPG with legacy ISAM structures.  They only implement Java to put a fancy facade on the apps. 

Fact:  No one out there has a framework that comes close to doing everything that XAF does with its integrated components.

Yes, Silverlight is new.  In fact, SL 3.0 is right around the corner.  However, VS 2008 doesn't suport SL GUI development.  We are waiting on VS 2010.  I sorta figure that when SL (as well as Windows workflow) is soup, DX will provide a seamless interface with XAF.

Take a good look and let us know if you find a better biz app solution than XAF.   So far, I haven't . . . and I've done a lot of looking.

It's the 4th and my wife just walked in to say "Let's get this party started."   . . . off to the grill and other good things.

Hi Ron

As it happens I have known and used the RemObjects products since the days of Project Dionysus. It (RemObjects RO & DA) is a fabulous concept very well implemented; I am a great fan of RO & DA and that would, all other things apart, be my primary technology for my SOA middleware. In the past, primarily I have done server-side work in Delphi and client side in Delphi and VS for Desktop, Mobile & Web client applications. DA on the WinMobile was a little fiddly (e.g. I wanted loose dependancy from client-to-server side so that the schema could be changed on the server without needing a rebuild of app on the client side; I am sure that can be achieved if it is not now already there ouf ot the box.)

I haven't looked too much at their current product line up, nor at Hydra much. I will revisit that area.

All the best,

Clive

 Hi Garth

Thanks for taking the time out on 4th to reply, and I hope you all enjoyed a great party. I looked at XAF over 3 years ago and decided it was not the way for me; at the time I had already an in-house developed (Delphi) framework; it wasnt perfect but it wasnt bad either. We had done a real load of work to derive other editors which addressed our particular desires for drop-down/lookup/etc... and to optimse for use of more natural keyboard use rather than having to use mouse for navigation.

XAF seemed just too primative in terms of UI, and wanted to run the whole show 100% rather than tie and extend an existing solution. Re the UI... may be that was just a weakness of the Demo rather than a limitation of the proudct as a whole.

What you seem to be saying is dont worry about SL or WPF specifically - but instead use a framework which will naturally migrate to make use of those technologies automatically.

I will indeed revisit XAF and see how it strikes me!

Thanks again,

Clive

Glad to hear you're already favorable towards it.  I've been playing around with their DALinq features in some blog posts if your interested.  Tonight I'm playing around with Silverlight for the first time and think this'll probably be the best fit for DALinq because there aren't any DataSet components.  I expect it'll be just as easy.  I just finished the silverlight.net tutorial by Scott Guthrie on getting data into a grid in Silverlight and if you have a RO/DA server doing what he did will amount to a couple lines of code.  But using REST with LINQ like he did wasn't bad at all.  Pretty slick really.

And to keep this a DevEx worthy post perhaps I'll convert the WPF and Silverlight projects to use the DevEx grids after I'm done.

Take Care,

Ron