If you can make Tomcat better that would be great. But I would
recommend you not be too dismissive about the improvements Microsoft
has made to web development. You should really take a look at ASP.NET
and the development tools Microsoft offers before you dismiss them as
"Creature Comforts". As I mentioned in my original post, Microsoft's
"Web Developer Express" is free and, in my opinion, it's a Big Wow. Be
sure to look at the accompanying (free) video tutorial series. For me,
what Microsoft has done was enough to make me throw in the towel after
8+ years in Java, which I've found to be a little depressing and
exciting at the same time.
--
Tony LaPaso
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Schilling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Tomcat Users List" <users@tomcat.apache.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 11:37 PM
Subject: Features comparisons for Tomcat (was Re: From Java to C#,
ASP.NET [Off Topic])
It's kind of nice to see this discussion on this board, because it
can serve as a way for Tomcat developers to think about what features
really help and what features don't. I'm going to avoid M$ bashing
cause it's not productive, but I think it's wise to look at the
effect "creature features" have on product popularity and take note.
My goal in continuing this thread under a new topic is to foster
discussion about valuable Tomcat features. Hopefully it will spark
some ideas about how to improve the popularity and appeal of Tomcat.
I'll start with a short list of one relevant item. I encourage
anyone to add to this, but please use the following format:
TOMCAT FEATURE NAME/TYPE
SUMMARY: description of the feature/issue
RELEVANT INFORMATION: additional information
IMPARCTED TOMCAT FEATURES: how Tomcat might be affected.
SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDRESSING THE FEATURE: what can be done
EASE OF USE
SUMMARY: Some believe that the Microsoft web development experience
is "truely more pleasant" than that of Java, and the often cite the
number of people who have switched from Java to .NET platforms
becuase of the percieved differences in ease of use.
RELAVENT INFORMATION: On one hand, some people maintain that Tomcat
is quite easy to use because starting and stopping the server
requires the typing of a single command line. The counter argument
to this claim is that a measure of "ease of use" should include all
aspects of application development, deployment, and maintenance. For
the purposes of discussion, "ease of use" for the Java platform and
related Tomcat applications need to be clarified. Since Tomcat is
built for the Java platform, we can view Tomcat "ease of use" as an
extension of the concept of Java Platform "ease of use." This will
allow us to compare the overall Tomcat development experience with
that of the "Microsoft development experience."
Unlike Microsoft development tools, which require the use of an IDE
for efficient developemnt, the Java platform and related products
(e.g. Tomcat server) make the use of IDE strictly optional.
Consequently, a comparison between "Java development" and ".NET
development" experiences cannot effectively be made by focusing on
the steps required to build and compile a program. On the Java
platform, the use of IDEs are strictly optional. Comparisons made
between Microsoft IDEs and othe IDEs would more appropriately be
restricted to the IDEs themselves, and not the platform. The fact
that Microsoft has required the use of it's Visual Studio application
to build and deploy application on the .NET platform complicates
comparisons.
The Microsoft development platform typically integrates the
development tool with the server so that the developer "clicks to
deploy". This feature is not unique to Microsoft products, however.
For example, Netbeans IDE integrates with Tomcat and provides many
similar features to the Microsoft product set. This indicates the
percieved differences in "ease of use" for may be an issue of user
awareness about the available IDEs.
While some prefer interacting with a development tool that requires
less technical knowledge, others argue that such tools allow more
room for less competent developers which can drastically reduce the
overall quality of the end product. Furthermore, with the Java
Development platform, the clear dilenation between the Java Runtime
Environment, the Java Software Development Kit, and the optional IDEs
give developers greater flexibility in building code, and the option
to only install the development tools necessary. This capability is
especially popular among those who are skilled in the development of
applications using simple text editors, such as vi. Such developers
argue that requiring the use of an IDE simply means more desktop
software maintenance and upgrade issues.
IMPACTED TOMCAT FEATURES: Maintainers of the tomcat platform so far
appear to be finding a balance betwen developers with higher
technical competencies and those who lean toward "creature features."
By providing a well published deployment interface and open source
implementation, the Tomcat team leaves open the opportunity for
integrated IDE development by others. Continuing to pursue this
strategy will most likely ensure that a) the Tomcat development team
retains flexibility down the road; and, b) gives competitors the
opportunity to expend resources on features in their own products
that don't ultimately increase sales for their product; and, c)
caters to the development community with a higher degree of technical
skill, which can produce web based application of higher quality.
SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDRESSING THE FEATURE: Percieved differences in
"ease of use" may be addressed through traditional advertising and a
comprehensive marketing plan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
