ASP.NET vs WPF

[Carl Ganz]

I have a client that is looking at converting a massive WinForms .NET
application to a server-based application in the next few years. The
topic of ASP.NET came up and I have some doubts about using it given
the introduction of WPF. Here's my thinking: When classic ASP came out
around 1995 or so, web applications were delivered as HTML and
Javascript and run in a browser. Today, with ASP.NET 3.5, web
applictations are still delivered as HTML and Javascript and run in a
browser. While I'm certainly aware of the vast improvements in the
technology to deliver this UI, there is still the problem that web and
Winforms applications are still very different beasts and the UI
technology is not compatible. Thus, converting from one to the other
is a massive undertaking and the web user experience is not as rich as
the WinForms user experience.

I thought ActiveX controls were going to replace HTML/Javascript when
they were first introduced but they created so many security concerns
that they never caught on. WPF looks like it can bridge this gap.

Since a WPF EXE application can easily be transformed into an XBAP
appplication, does anyone see a diminishing role for ASP.NET
development as the development platform moves away from HTML/
Javascript and toward WPF/XBAP? Do you think that once Microsoft
releases a grid for WPF and the 3P vendors come fully on board, that
ASP.NET will begin the slow trail to obsolesence?

Thanks

Carl

 

[sloan]

If you need uber presentation stuff in the client, the Silverlight is the
wave of the future.
Its been the most signficant breakthru in the web client in years.

Since Silverlight 2 has come out, you can write the majority of your code in
C# (or rather, a dotnet language)
Silverlight 1.0 was more javascript based.

There is a "mini clr" that runs IN THE BROWER.

Browser support is NOT ONLY IE.

Check silverlight.net for more details.

You do NOT get all the features of WPF in Silverlight. But you get alot.

 

[SetonSoftware]

If you need uber presentation stuff in the client, the Silverlight is the
wave of the future.
Its been the most signficant breakthru in the web client in years.

Since Silverlight 2 has come out, you can write the majority of your code in
C# (or rather, a dotnet language)
Silverlight 1.0 was more javascript based.

There is a "mini clr" that runs IN THE BROWER.

Browser support is NOT ONLY IE.

Check silverlight.net for more details.

You do NOT get all the features of WPF in Silverlight.  But you get alot.








- Show quoted text -

Understood. XBAP is restricted to IE only, but FireFox is (or will) be
supporting it as well. Still, I'm thinking more about intranet
applications. Since Silverlight is a subset of WPF, why not simply use
WPF for all appliciation development? Most/all browser will support
XBAP in the near future just to stay viable.

Other than immediate cross-browser support, what do I get with
Silverlight that I don't get with XBAP?

Thanks

Carl

 

[sloan]

If you have an intranet, then obviously you'll have some more options.

Now or future? Intranet or cross browser.

I can't really answer those things.

//Other than immediate cross-browser support, what do I get with
Silverlight that I don't get with XBAP?//

I don't know. I'm not a xbap expert. I'm very average with Silverlight 2
at this point to be honest. I was waiting for version 2 most definately,
and really waiting for BETA2 since MS was making so many breaking changes.

...

I would stick with Silverlight, because that seems to be a big bag of
Microsoft eggs these days.
But that's me.

Good luck.

If you need uber presentation stuff in the client, the Silverlight is the
wave of the future.
Its been the most signficant breakthru in the web client in years.

Since Silverlight 2 has come out, you can write the majority of your code
in
C# (or rather, a dotnet language)
Silverlight 1.0 was more javascript based.

There is a "mini clr" that runs IN THE BROWER.

Browser support is NOT ONLY IE.

Check silverlight.net for more details.

You do NOT get all the features of WPF in Silverlight. But you get alot.








- Show quoted text -

Understood. XBAP is restricted to IE only, but FireFox is (or will) be
supporting it as well. Still, I'm thinking more about intranet
applications. Since Silverlight is a subset of WPF, why not simply use
WPF for all appliciation development? Most/all browser will support
XBAP in the near future just to stay viable.

Other than immediate cross-browser support, what do I get with
Silverlight that I don't get with XBAP?

Thanks

Carl

 

[Munna]

HI

I would prefer silverlight over xbap. Xbap run on a sandbox
environment..
a simple complexity is that you can not access htmldom directly from
xbap...
wcf has support only in partial trust mode but have size limit.. and
lot of other stuff

so please be care full about the selection of technology...

best of luck

Munna

 

[raylopez99]

I have a client that is looking at converting a massive WinForms .NET
application to a server-based  application in the next few years. The

I think I agree with your reasoning Carl. Seems like WPF will make
both WinForms and ASP.NET obsolete--eventually--since it incorporates
the best elements of both (namely, the richness and strong typing of
C#/managed languages, and the code separation and "net-ready-ness" of
ASP.NET).

But the key word is "eventually". It could take another five years.

RL