<p>OK, I know everyone is already familiar with the age old argument stirred up once again by the <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9020942";>recent Computer World article</a>; the one in which a decidedly poorly researched hack listed ColdFusion as a dying skill (I know, which industry do these people actually work in?!)... well, this literary slush has reared its ugly head again in a <a href="http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=514&tag=nl.e124";>reworked article</a> on the popular IT news site TechRepublic.com.</p>
<p>While there is the usual plethora of misguided opinions and the predictable drought of fresh perspectives, <a href="http://techrepublic.com.com//5208-6230-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=227003&messageID=2263206";>one of the comments</a> that particularly riled me suggested that web developers, as a breed, are akin to the typing pools of the early 50s, fuelled by the demand for people who could type when this skill was in short supply. These days, the blogger suggests, we are all able to type perfectly well and the need for these 'experts', complete with their comparative system of certifications, has long since diminished.</p> <p>Although it is easy to see that the person commenting has little experience of what "web development" means today (i.e. very little to do with web sites), he is not exactly the first to spot that the <i>web site</i> is in relative decline in favour of the <i>web app</i>. The line between desktop client and the web is becoming increasingly blurred with the advent of a host of RIA technologies including Flex/Apollo/AJAX and the <a href="http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/APIWar.html";>migration of traditional desktop apps to the web</a> (<a href="http://www.virtub.com/";>Buzzword</a>, <a href="http://docs.google.com/";>Google Docs</a>, etc). Add to that; modern CMS are now equipping non-technical staff with far more powerful tools with which to create web based content (and even mini-applications) than was possible only a couple of years ago, it is obvious the role of web developer is certainly one that is always going to require an ever-changing skills set. </p> <p>So, (and here's the discussion I'm interested in); given this movement towards the web-based installation of client side apps and the empowerment of the non-technical user to do much of what a web-developer <b><i>used </i></b>to do... what do you all see our role being in the near and/or more distant future?...<br></p> <wbr> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Upgrade to Adobe ColdFusion MX7 Experience Flex 2 & MX7 integration & create powerful cross-platform RIAs http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=RVJQ Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Talk/message.cfm/messageid:282014 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Talk/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.4
