Interactivity is the name of the game
January 10, 2000
Dynamic page delivery isn't the only way in which Web
sites are becoming more complex. The greatest advantage
that the Internet has over other media is user interactivity,
and folks are starting to demand that sites live up to that
potential. Corporate sites don't just inform any more - good
ones allow users to place orders and otherwise interact
with the company, which of course means interacting with
databases and other existing information systems. The best
sites offer users ways to personalize the content. One size
doesn't fit all any more. To sum up, Web sites are becoming
more like applications, so Web developers need to start
thinking more like software developers. HTML doesn't have
this kind of power, so programming languages are becoming
essential parts of a Web developer's tool kit.
To take an example, consider a stock quote service, such as
Bullsession,
which provides real-time stock quotes. I don't think of
it as a software application in the traditional sense,
because there is no program that resides on my computer.
All I have is a user name and password which allows me to
log into their site and run the application. But it isn't
"just a Web site" either, because it allows me to design
my own portfolio of stocks that I want to follow, and
save all my settings, like an application. This is quite
simply a software application that runs over the Web - a
Java applet to be precise. And yes, it works fine, even
over a dial-up connection.
Of course, Java applets are nothing new, but they're becoming
ubiquitous (and a lot better, fortunately). Traditionally,
stock-quote services used a proprietary application that you
had to download and install, and some still do. But more and
more processing power is being transferred from our computers
to the Internet, and our desktop (or laptop or wristwatch,
or...) machines are becoming more like dumb terminals. Some
have predicted a day when no one will own software - you'll
simply go to a Web site where you'll rent the software for
as long as you need to get your task done. This offers a lot
of advantages - no big up-front costs, no need to clutter
your hard drive with programs, and no need ever to worry
about upgrades or bug fixes. The downside of course, is
that it's a bit contrary to human nature. People like to
own stuff, and tend to distrust "pay as you go"
arrangements.
Anyway, my point here isn't to make sweeping predictions
about the future of computing, but simply to point out that
Web developers will need to broaden their repertoire of
languages greatly. Our old friend HTML has served us
(reasonably) well, but it's now just one member of a
rapidly-growing pantheon. Developers who are technically
inclined will need to stay up on the latest programming
languages. Those who aren't (like the author) will need
to focus on the broader design issues, and delegate the
coding to real programmers.
Dynamic Sites Take Over
A Look at the Web Development World Ahead
Compatibility Woes Forever
|
