How does the perfect application development platform for the next 10 years look like? This is the question we asked ourselves, and these are the requirements we consider crucial:
- We want to stay flexible and avoid a lock-in to a specific platform. We do not know what our preferred corporate platform will be in three years from now: Android? iOS? Windows? Our users want to use the application on all widely used platforms. From a technical point of view these are at present and in the near future Windows, iOS, Android and the web browser. From a hardware point of view the most used platforms are Tablets, Notebooks, Smartphones, Desktops and upcoming Smartwatches. Ideally I develop an application once and use it as is on all platforms without big additional effort. That’s what we call good portability. It helps to save time and cost.
- We want to have new business applications quickly and for little money. Our developers shall not loose their valuable time with repeating tasks and focus on application specific things – like special algorithms, business logic, interfaces. Therefore we need tools that support rapid application development. That also helps to save time and cost.
- Business critical data must be accessible from everywhere. According to surveys between 3% and 10% of all users are really mobile digital nomad workers and need access to business data on the fly. Really mobile users know the drawbacks and problems when it comes to stable, continuous internet access be it in a train, tunnel, elevator, basement and many more places. Even in the center of large cities it happens to be without access. So we need applications with off-line capabilities that still work 100% when the internet access is stuttering.
- In all countries where the citizens speak different languages but also in international corporations the applications need to be multi-lingual. Here we wish an easy solution that allows power users (and not only software developers) to translate the texts of the application any time and deploy the new translations fast to all devices.
- Most of us run a (too) large number of servers and want to avoid having to add additional servers whenever possible. Cloud solutions help to unburden. We do not need additional server hardware, no additional floor space, no additional sys admin personnel, are allowed to add additional users or delete users any time and hence reduce cost to zero within on month.
- We want to roll-out upgrades quickly. Globally. At least as easy as an update of an app on a smartphone, but better easier than that: The user has nothing to click.
For all these requirements we have checked out the offerings of Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and others. We also checked out a series of open source software. We developed prototypes, did feasibility studies and tested. We wanted to know who is offering the best platform. Our answer? Protogrid!
