Rewriting Mission Critical Applications For The Web is a Lengthy, Risky Process. Carefully Structured Hybrid Applications That Combine HTML, SQL, Lotus Domino/Notes Data On One Screen Can Reduce The Risk And Bring Browsers Into The Fold
The Web As Applications Platform
The Web is the hot new platform for applications development. More than 60 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies currently operate, or are planning to operate, corporate intranets. The reasons are compelling and straightforward.
New Web-based applications can cost as much as 50 percent less than traditional client/server applications (source: GIGA Information Group).
Intranet applications use standard components and protocols for easy multi-platform deployment.
The Internet provides an inexpensive platform for public networking.
The Web is ideal for self-service applications that empower customers, employees, vendors, and partners alike.
Web applications employ an incremental application deployment model it s easy to slipstream. Until now, Web applications have mostly consisted of static publishing sites, with little interactivity, dynamic sessions, or workflow processes. Richer second-generation Web applications haven t yet arrived. There are very good reasons for this: the platform isn t robust or mature enough to support critical line-of-business applications. The keyreason, is that Web tools aren t yet ready for prime time and true Web-centric application tools don t exist yet. HTML and CGI have been the primary means for creating applications, but, as noted above, these applications are static, lacking true client/server-style functionality, transaction processing, and other requirements for true applications. Java tools to date are really closer to compilers than true application development environments with complete design tools, secure repository, RAD-style components, and more. Java tools will arrive, but will need more time to reach a maturity that can support line-of-business, mission-critical client/server-style applications.
Hybrid Applications: Extend Your Investments
Given these parameters, it is a brave organization that fully embraces the Web as its sole platform for mission-critical applications. Instead, smarter organizations are adopting a cautious, planned migration that protects existing investments in client/server applications while extending its reach to include a newer browser/server application model. Revelation Software calls these Hybrid Applications.
What is a Hybrid Application? It has a mixture of user interfaces: native controls as well as HTML-contained objects. It has a mixture of languages and event models; for example, a single application could blend in LotusScript, Visual Basic, HTML, JavaScript, and CGI. It has a mixture of data sources legacy data, Notes databases, ODBC/SQL, Java, and JDBC which can all provide data to a single application screen. Using a Hybrid structure, developers can create applications that display HTML or generate CGI; produce or parse HTML from data queries, reports and other form-type elements; enable applet or plug-in-like operation from a browser; and are deployable and upgradable from the Web server and that execute portions on the Web server. Best of all, developers can exploit the Web without mastering each and every Internet protocol, language, and standard.
Why do Hybrid Applications Make Sense?
Given the paramount importance of maintaining healthy, successful client/server applications, a reckless re-architecture of existing systems has disastrous implications. Hybrid applications enable developers to slowly, sensibly add Web enablement (HTML, e.g.). Browsers can become full citizens while native clients continue to work unmodified a low-risk strategy for adding new users without disturbing existing users.
Hybrid Applications provide a new dimension to the concept of Reusability. The reuse of code, skills and databases can all be extended and redeployed to maximize investments. Hybrid applications enable this reuse by leveraging application knowledge and deployment investments while, at the same time, enabling learning in new technical areas to take place. (For more information on reusability, read our white paper Reusability: A Pragmatic Model to Drive Rapid, Profitable Applications Development.
Revelation s Hybrid Strategy
Revelation is already delivering the foundation for delivering new classes of hybrid applications with the release of Revelation ViP 2.2 and OpenInsightfor Workgroups 3.3 (see accompanying articles). These releases enable developers to protect their investment in current applications while, at the same time, enabling them to initiate the move of those applications to the Web.