Google Web Toolkit or Microsoft Technology (Silverlight, ASP.NET)

Question

We have a large code base in MFC and VB. Several applications are in .NET. All these applications communicate with each other on the user machine, and also connect to Unix servers through sockets.

Recently, we started discussing rewriting our applications and the possibility of transferring many of these desktop applications to the network (they will work on the intranet). The direct path rewrites them in one of the .NET technologies. But there was a proposal to use Google Web takeit, and the argument is that it will help to create applications that will run in the browser on both desktop and mobile devices.

One of the key issues I see is that GWT is a big abstraction over Javascript. This will require the team to learn GWT, Javascript, IDE, etc., since their experience mainly relates to Microsoft technologies, not Java. It would be easier for them to learn .NET technologies instead of GWT.

I don’t have the depth of GWT and its flaws, and I don’t know about Microsoft parallel technology that I need to research.

Therefore, I would appreciate it if people here could share their views or experiences using GWT or equivalent Microsoft technologies.

Answer 1

Questions like this are subjective, so you won’t get a direct answer. Are you also rewriting a unix / socket server? Or do you intend to place the web service wrapper in front of the sockets, because without it I cannot see how the Internet / Internet solution works.

For my money, if you are .net / microsoft house, then MS technology is the way to go. MS currently supports jQuery, which is a client-side javascript structure, but there are others like extjs. If you stick to MS and server-side solutions, then ASP.NET MVC is currently gaining a lot of traction. MVC and jQuery work well together imho.

If you set up a REST-based web service layer for your backend, that means you can even get away with flat html interfaces running on any javascript infrastructure, without the need for server-side web rendering technology. For REST, you can look at .NET WCF if you adhere to MS technology.

Answer 2

Given that you have worked with MFC and VB, .NET will also become a new world for you. At least with Microsoft, you will have the powerful development tools and training resources you need. Not sure what it will be with the GWT.

But also, if one of your developers wins the lottery and leaves the company, you will have less trouble finding another MS developer to replace him with.

Answer 3

Given that you guys are a Microsoft developer, I would stick with the Microsoft stack (unless your developers really want to learn something new - from my experience, which rarely happens).

In any case, I thought I would come up with that Microsoft had a “hugged and extended” version of GWT called Volta that they release 2-3 years ago. The idea is that it takes C # as the source file and compiles it into Javascript.

I suspect the project is dead (I cannot find much information about this), but you can check it out. I picked it up because you guys looked like a Microsoft store that was interested in GWT.

Answer 4

Based on your information provided, I think it's best to use Microsoft Technologies instead of Google Technologies.

This will reduce the cost (include the time to find out, as well as the budget, etc.)

Silverlight, on the other hand, is sent to Windows mobile phones (WinMo7), so your application will work the same on cell phones. Therefore, my sugesstion should use Microsofts.