How to develop "Once For Both Web And Desktop"

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pmbcan - 04 Oct 2007 20:51 GMT

There is an article titled : "Write Code Once For Both Mobile And Desktop
Apps" at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/07/07/ShareCode/default.aspx

This is nice. However, I would also like to see an article like "Write Code
Once For Both Web And Desktop Apps".

It would be extremely liberating to write simple web applications in Visual
Web Developer Express (which now inlcudes both C# and VB) and enbale it to
run offline. Then the Offline version can serve as a desktop application. In
developing applications this way, the SAME web development skill could be
leveraged/utilized for standalone/offline/desktop apps too.

I hope Microsoft folks should take a serious note of "Google Gears" and
Adobe AIR. The possibility and ability to package various components of a
web application as standalone/offline application should be included in
Visual Web Developer Express 2008. This should also facilitate distribution
and use of the application via USB/CD/DVD media.

Microsoft should not miss this opportunity. It is not that difficult. Just
create a facility in VWD to include the standalone web server and SQL Server
express runtime engine into the offline/standalone package. I hope you get
my point.

Thanks and regards,

-- pmbcan (AT gmail.com)

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Brian K. Williams - 04 Oct 2007 21:06 GMT

WPF & Silverlight might be exactly what you are looking for.

I tested this write code once for both Web & Desktop when it was still in
beta, it might have changed sence I last used it. What I ended up doing was
creating a WPF User Control for a Secure Login then I was able to use that
control in both a Silverlight web application and a WPF Windows Form.
From what I have read, CE6 will support Silverlight so you will be able to
use it anywhere.

Regards,
Brian K. Williams

> There is an article titled : "Write Code Once For Both Mobile And Desktop
> Apps" at
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
> -- pmbcan (AT gmail.com)

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pmbcan - 04 Oct 2007 21:46 GMT

Hi Brian,

I am still with .NET20 and develop using free tools like VWD Express, SQL
Server Express and open source libraries like ZedGraph. I have always wished
/ needed to distribute my "web apps" as standalone/offline pacakge rather
than hosting it online on webserver.

I have yet to try WPF/Silverlight. If you have tried it, my question is: Can
you pacakge your web application on a CD/USB key drive/DVD and ask a user to
run it standalone/offline? If so, I would be grateful to have some "getting
started" URLs.

Thanks/regards,

pmbcan

> WPF & Silverlight might be exactly what you are looking for.
>
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
>>
>> -- pmbcan (AT gmail.com)

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Chris Mullins [MVP - C#] - 04 Oct 2007 22:41 GMT

> From what I have read, CE6 will support Silverlight so you will be able to
> use it anywhere.

I haven't seen anything either way, but support on CE6 isn't anywhere near
good enough for a mobile solution.

Silverlight needs far broader support than that - even having WM5 support
wouldn't begin to approach "good enough" status in terms of a viable mobile
platform.

--
Chris Mullins

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Ignacio Machin ( .NET/ C# MVP ) - 04 Oct 2007 21:18 GMT

Hi,

> There is an article titled : "Write Code Once For Both Mobile And Desktop
> Apps" at
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/07/07/ShareCode/default.aspx
>
> This is nice. However, I would also like to see an article like "Write
> Code Once For Both Web And Desktop Apps".

Not with the current technology. The thing is that mobile apps are a scale
down desktop apps. The underlinig platform is the same, Win Os.
Web is a completely different platform.

There are new technologies that will allow (hopefully) do it. WPF for
example tend to go that direction.

Reply to this Message

pmbcan - 04 Oct 2007 22:29 GMT

>"Ignacio Machin ( .NET/ C# MVP )" <machin TA laceupsolutions.com> wrote
>
> Not with the current technology. The thing is that mobile apps are a scale
> down desktop apps. The underlinig platform is the same, Win Os.
> Web is a completely different platform.

ASPexplore http://www.aspexplore.com/, is a software tool that runs Classic
ASP offline, albiet a different way. I have not found any such for ASP.NET.

I guess that in order to make an ASP.NET application work offline, all the
user needs is to have only the "ASP.NET Development Server" that comes with
VWD Express and ASP.NET project files (.aspx, web.config,.... etc.). Or a
such a web server from Mono-Project.Org should be better?

There might be a workaround/trick to enable "ASP.NET application" work
offline, and subsequently to distribute it as standalone package. My wish
is, there should a standard way to do this.

Is there any such enabling facility coming up in Visual Web Developer
Express 2008?

-- pmbcan

Reply to this Message

Chris Mullins [MVP - C#] - 04 Oct 2007 22:38 GMT

> However, I would also like to see an article like "Write Code Once For
> Both Web And Desktop Apps".

Me too. It sucks writing a GUI's for each platform.

> I hope Microsoft folks should take a serious note of "Google Gears" and
> Adobe AIR.

At this point in time, I'm veriously seriously looking at AIR for all future
UI code. It can hit web services, so I can continue writing the majority of
my "real" code in C# / WCF, and it'll work everywhere.

The Microsoft Answer - SilverLight, doesn't seem nearly as complete or
mature as AIR. SilverLight isn't supported for both Browser & Desktop (I've
seen samples where a desktop hack has been done, but, it's not really made
for it). The deployment for AIR is a ".Air" file, which is very elegant. The
download is small, and it's going to be supported eveywhere.

The only real appeal of Silverlight if the client-side micro clr.

Several of the devs I work with have already been using AIR, and are very
happy with it.

--
Chris Mullins

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pmbcan - 05 Oct 2007 01:02 GMT

To me, making a "web app" offline means enabling the same web app to
function as desktop application.

This simple and easy functionality should have been created when Visual Web
Developer was launched in 2005. Microsoft team missed to envision this
easy-to-implement possibility. If that was done then, Adobe AIR would not be
so appealing as it appears today.

Since Visual Web Developer Express 2008 and .NET35 is still in beta2 stage,
Microsoft still has the strategic opportunity to do this; therefore to
leapfrog to something that delivers/leverages better than Adobe AIR.

I can only hope and wish that Microsoft folks could envision the challenges
and opportunities posed by AIR,.... If not, another opportunity will be
missed.

Thanks / regards,

pmbcan (AT gmail DOT com)

>> However, I would also like to see an article like "Write Code Once For
>> Both Web And Desktop Apps".
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> --
> Chris Mullins

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How to develop "Once For Both Web And Desktop"

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