how do we compare and contrast them?
As the list of options grew it was getting confusing, so I divided them into six tables, grouping them by key characteristics.
1. Green Screen Emulation / Conversion / Open Access Options (tools that leverage existing green-screen interfaces and offer emulation or a quick migration path to browser user interfaces with little or no programming required).
2. ILE CGI Frameworks (providing support for HTTP interfaces, including support for HTML / CSS / JavaScript / XML / JSON / ExtJS / JQuery / and similar client technologies via ILE APIs and related tooling).
3. Scripting Environments (runtime environments that enables the quick deployment of Web applications through a mixture of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Server Script, and APIs).
4. Application Generators / Utilities / DB Inquiry / Maintenance / Dashboards (tools offering extreme productivity and quick application generation using pattern based utilities, program models, templates, meta data repositories (where little or no programming required).
5. Integrated Development Environments (broadly scoped environments with integrated WYSIWYG Designers / Project Managers / File System Navigators / Wizards / Code Editors / Helps / Tool Tips / Source Control / Change Management).
6. Browser Based UI Frameworks and Rendering Engines (frameworks and rendering engines that transform JSON to DOM elements (or similar); providing support for compelling styles, visual effects, and behaviors, as alternatives to (or in conjunction with) home-grown HTML, CSS, and JavaScript).
http://wiki.midrange.com/index.php/Web_GUI_Development_Options
- Nathan
midrange.com
