Web and mobile application

[Former Member]

Hi Friends.

We have a commercial PB Classic application (about 600 windows) that works with an Oracle Database.

We want to start to develop part of this application as a web application and/or a mobile application. What do you recommend/suggest? (IDE, language, platform, architecture...).

Any suggestion or material will be pretty appreciated.

Thank you.

[martin_heigl]

Hi,

we created our websolution with pure powerbuilder-classic with a small PHP-Program for Apache and a small JScript-program for Tomcat-Server as connector

It's running perfect and we can use the same business logik.

positiv

- we can use our current objects

- we've only 1 program and one source

negativ

- max. 200 parallel-connections per service

- not simple to create the needed framework

- not for comlexe HTML-Pages

In the www-world you need a other UI. The difference between www and Client-Server is the same

as MS-DOS and windows-world.

Appeon is a good idea but it's not cheap and you can't make all (www is a other world!)

If you've your business logik in the window, then try a solution with Appeon.

regards

Martin

[Former Member]

I would recommend thinking about the one-fits-it-all-idea. There a very good solutions in the market for web and mobile applications.

To create smartphone application I am really impressed by the Sencha Touch Framework with Sencha Architect. I also like the TypeScript language by Microsoft to build mobile apps. I blogged a VS template für quick start.

For web developement I use ASP.NET with the entity framework and MVC.

If you really want to bring "parts" of your app to web and mobile it could be a good idea to use other tools for frontend development. To re-use PB code you could try to implement a business logic stack with webservice interface.

[Former Member]

Hi Benjamin,

My German isn't good enough to read your blog. We use EF for a data layer as well with WCF serving up the data to whatever front end needs it.

Mark

[Former Member]

Benjamin,

But isn't your tool a one-fits-it-all-idea as well?  That tool builds apps in HTML5 which is a cross-platform markup language but it isn't a native app.  I think that is what makes Appeon Mobile a little more inviting.  Build native apps for most devices using our current skill sets to do it.

I am in the process of evaluating what we should be doing for making mobile apps that can run across different platforms.  The thought of learning multpile languages to build native apps for all the different devices seems unrealistic.  That leaves me with 2 other options (maybe a couple more) - HTML5 or Appeon Mobile.  I keep coming back to the fact that we are a PB shop and if we can use our current skill sets to develop a solution that works across multiple platforms without learning a new language then do I care how the native app was 'written'?

If the question is around building the same app for Mobile as well as the Web then I agree they should be different but that doesn't mean you need to develop it with a different tool does it?

I welcome your feedback as I go through my evaluation.

Chris Craft

[former_member190719]

Christopher Craft wrote:
I am in the process of evaluating what we should be doing for making mobile apps that can run across different platforms.  The thought of learning multpile languages to build native apps for all the different devices seems unrealistic.  That leaves me with 2 other options (maybe a couple more) - HTML5 or Appeon Mobile.  I keep coming back to the fact that we are a PB shop and if we can use our current skill sets to develop a solution that works across multiple platforms without learning a new language then do I care how the native app was 'written'?
If the question is around building the same app for Mobile as well as the Web then I agree they should be different but that doesn't mean you need to develop it with a different tool does it?

I think the issue is that (IMHO) HTML5 isn't ready for the prime time for line of business (LOB) apps on mobile devices.  That's why you see Facebook and LinkedIn reverting to native apps.  (Not that either are LOB apps, but I'd argue that they are simpler than LOB apps).  Or what some other people do is create 'hybrid' apps, and HTML5 app in a native wrapper so they still have access to local device resources, handle occasional connectivity better, and improve performance.  But if you go hybrid, you're still going to have to have somebody that can write that native wrapper in another tool.

So, my free advice (worth every penny) is that you really have two options:

1.  Bite the bullet and start doing native development, either as the entire mobile app or at least a wrapper to the HTML5 app.

2.  Appeon Mobile

[Former Member]

Hi Bruce,

I see the current discussion about HTML5 and the headlines about big companies switching back to native apps. But I wouldn't see a trend back to native here.

There are a lot of pitfalls with the technology, yes! Especially JavaScript is really a problem because it allows to write really insance code and isn't that easy and productive than C# (Maybe even than PowerScript ). But there are nice ideas for languages like CoffeScript or TypeScript to work with this and to see JavaScript just as an "assemby language". Appeon mobile does it in the web part in the same way.

In addition I don't see THE HTML5 because how fluid your application works hardly depends on the given frameworks.

To comment you conclusion

1. If I talk about HTML5-Apps I always mean native app skeletons with loaded HTML5. The deployment from HTML5-Code to native app is just a batch. I also mean local HTML5 files and not remote loaded code (i.g. Apple doesn't even allow this kind of apps)

2. I am a Appeon skeptic because conversion will always bring problems ... the small dirty problems we hate so much and they costs us so much time. IMHO: Lot of developers here see in Appen the magical big red button to solve all problems and convert there years growing thousands of objects applications. I hope they won't be disappointed.

To discuss

If I have a ten years old app with x-thousands lines of code should I count them as my capital? The capital is the knowledge implicit in this application. There is a operative view: How fast could I convert my app with all my power to a new platform (Appeon) OR (the strategic view) what's the way to make this knowledge explicit and re-usable so I don't have to convert today and tomorrow ... and so on ... I will just code frontends in HTML5, HTML6, ...

[Former Member]

Simple answer: Appeon Mobile.

I'm sure Chris Pollach and others will chime in more on this subject. 

[Former Member]

Hi Luiz;

  Dale took the words right out of mouth ... Appeon Web and Appeon Mobile is your best bet! 

I can fully attest to its prowess on the iOS devices after emerging myself in the Appeon Mobile Alpha & Beta programs before GA was released on April 30, 2013. During that period I built many test applications for the iPhone and iPad. I also migrated my PB/Appeon framework and production applications over to Appeon Mobile as well.

FYI:  http://www.appeon.com

Regards ... Chris

[Former Member]

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