The Application Server Marketplace
Which Model Is Right For Your?
By Steve Benfield
A massive change is occurring in the world of the Web that's bringing two sides of Web development together -- and application servers are at the center of this transformation. On one side are Web developers; on the other, corporate IT developers. Two different worlds. Web developers have lived in the world of CGI, scripts, and servlets. IT developers have lived in the world of 4GLs and data access. As the architecture of core business applications progresses toward thin-client or three-tier client/server, the application server has emerged as the core platform that will allow organizations to develop in either of these technologies.
When Web developers look at client/server they see the old way of doing things. Web developers are free to pick the best -- or cheapest -- tools and technologies at hand, and as long as they follow standards, everything they build works together. The emphasis is on getting data to the people who need it -- now. Typical Web developers might use several tools to build their applications. They tend to focus on smaller pieces of code that use other pieces to form a whole app.
Corporate IT developers see this as a crazy way to build systems. They're used to 4GLs, easy data access, guaranteed transactions, security, and scalability. Client/server is the standard architecture for corporate IT development, where tools such as PowerBuilder, Visual Basic, and Delphi dominate the landscape. These developers focus on scalability and integrity of business transactions.<>
