Since the world moves in the direction of a more heterogeneous computer environment, the world also moves in a direction where you do not deploy your applications. Instead you put the software on a server. X-Windows works that way. MS Terminal Server and Citrix work that way. HTML works that way. I even use HTML based e-mail instead of an application running locally. Right now I'm doing word processing in Netscape, in order to type this message. It's not much, but 10 years ago, I would have been using Word Perfect/DOS or Ami Pro for Windows for this same task.
A danish county just ordered a database system at our company. It is meant to integrate with MS Office. We will deliver a web-system, and the integration of the database with MS Office will NOT be done using ODBC, ADO etc., but using HTTP and tabulator separated ASCII. Wow. Yes, you are right, the lowest common denominator rules. But it works. The server can run Linux or Windows NT, we don't care, we just develop it - they put up the server and decide the OS.
Do you know this low-tech invention called "car", that uses four rubber wheels? Trains are far more advanced, more powerful, go faster etc. But the car is there, it works and drives me everywhere, also outside the Microsoft railway system. I use a car. I must be primitive. |
