I have very much appreciated this discussion, and have pondered it some. I don't care to weigh in with anything too profound, except to perhaps challenge Scott's assertion arounnd the definitions of "middleware" versus "enterprise." (see below for a portion of Scott's post)
Defining code as "middleware" and "enterprise" is convenient, but not universally universally accepted. I won't go on at length about this; I would point only to IBM's description of its own product line, including it's flagship J2EE compliant Websphere, as middleware. This not from the technical side of the house, but the marketing side. (see www.ibm.com/middleware ) If anyone understsnds buzzwords, it's marketing people, and if anyone is on the currently correct side of the buzzline, I defer to IBM. This, therefore, leads us back to where the discussion began; that is, to marketing and visibility, not to function and features. The first posts on this thread a week or so ago spoke to market position or visibility, and how, even though the program was powerful, it didn't get any traction with the client. The posts part way along, in my opinion, confused market position with scalability, which is what, again in my opinion, the word "enterprise" is all about. Nevertheless, the original problem of convincing large IT players of the equity of a codebase built and run using a proprietary engine that few have heard of -- remains. Client concerns will not be overcome by a discussion about quick development time or Total Cost of Ownership. I therefore salute the drive to "build some buzz" around the Witango product line. Moreover, I would *strongly* support any move that had the Witango Editor have the added capability to "Save As .Net" Think about it: XML code that, with its server engine, could run on any major OS, or Save as J2EE or .Net -- dealer's choice. I think if the Editor could move in this direction, the market position for Witango would be assured, with sufficient market share to create its own buzz. Finally, since I seldom post, I also would like to add that, as a community, sponsored by the awesome leadership, development and support of Phil and Sophie, this list is the best ..! Sincerely, Ian ........... SNIP from Scott's Post ........... The problem is, web-development has evolved to now encompasses middleware solutions - and "Enterprise" solutions. Like it or not, the "Enterprise" buzzword is reality. And "Enterprise" is the root of Robert's anxiety (and others I'm sure). So what's the difference between Middleware and Enterprise? ~~~ Middleware, is just glue - that helps to bind different applications together to make one solution. Middleware allows end-users to interact with a database via a browser, or move data from one system to another system. It can be wonderful glue, but still just glue none-the-less. ~~~ Enterprise, is a platform - a total solution environment that provides end-to-end working, integrated components to deliver results. Enterprise components are typically all written using the same language or standards. It's about conformity. Another way to read Enterprise is portability of code (a.k.a. business logic), and portability reads as savings and return on investments. Where as, code from a Middleware product isn't as portable to other components. Examples of Middleware for the web world are ColdFusion, PHP, Perl, Witango and so on. There are only two examples of Enterprise: Java and .NET What do the Fortune 5000 companies (or likewise aspiring companies) want? Enterprise - end of story. Occasionally those Fortune companies may want a quick fix to a simple problem, so sometimes they employ a middleware solution - but don't kid yourself, Enterprise is their primary objective. ________________________________________________________________________ TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Go to http://www.witango.com/developer/maillist.taf
