Re: AJAX vs. Xforms

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Hi to everybody,

I think that this topic could be seen from a broader perspective. Looking
back around 13 years, we see that HTML was created just to read documents
over the Internet and to be able to relate some documents to others
(hyperlinks). At that time, browsers had to be downloaded from the net and
it did not prevent progress. From the initial purpose, this technology has
evolved to cover more interactive applications and many changes and
complementary technologies were developed (cookies, session maintenance
tricks, scripting, dynamic HTML, etc...). All of these have made web
browsers to become a Dr. Frankenstein's monster. In my opinion this
technology is so stressed that it is about breaking!!! On the other hand, we
should not forget that many enterprises continue developing client-server
applications for the simple reason that web technology does not provide
enough functionality.

Some factors are now acting as barriers for the development of new
technologies that eventually could substitute today's browsers. I mention a
few:

- Browsers are free. This prevents many companies from engaging in
developments with no possible business plan behind. I know many will
disagree but this is the way I see it. Free and open source software is
successful as a reaction to abuses from the big software manufacturers.
Computer scientists and programmers have the right to earn bread and wine
from their talent and work and there is no reason why these should be for
free.

- Microsoft. The prevalent IE position with a very low investment from
Microsoft to improve the product (because it is free) makes it difficult for
new products to show up (Firefox is maybe the only real alternative today).

But for difficult it may be, everything has an end. I do not know when (I
would say no more than five years) but new client software will have to show
up and succeed; the market is getting ripe for it. I see Xforms not as an
evolution for current browser technology but as a disruptive technology
trying to set up a new paradigm for markup language client software. I see
it as the begining of something new that must be enhanced and further
developed...and needs time.

Kind regards,

Rafael Benito

SATEC

 

 

Rafael Benito Ruíz de Villa
e-business Manager
Mobile (+34) 617 314 293
rbenito@satec.es

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