There’s a lot of buzz nowadays about moving to Office 365 and using the App Model to extend and customize the platform. However, I know a lot of folks aren’t even considering Office 365 just yet, so I was wondering how are you developing “Apps” internally?
Are you using Full Trust Farm solutions? Or, are you starting to create Apps internally? I am guessing the decision points will be based on the fact that Farm Solutions are far quicker to develop, but harder to migrate in the future. Whereas “Apps” are slow to develop but set you up for a potential move to Office 365…
Love to hear your thoughts…
>>I totally agree with the point made by Denis in that setting up an Apps friendly environment for on-prem is simply way too painful.
What exactly was painful? SPAutoInstaller + some PowerShell script don’t do the job? Plus, as yo mentioned, the stable farm, easy upgrades and better ALM delivered to the client is worth other inconvenience caused.
>>Over and above the complexity and expense of setting up the environment we are still way too constricted in what can be done with the available OMs and the problem is we (as developers) don’t really know how constricted we are until we hit a road-block. More risk and uncertainty
Well, there is MSDN plus all assemblies are available. If we don’t know how to use it, that’s our own problem. Would it be fair that client gonna pay for instable farm cause by farm solutions due “developers” have not learn CSOM? Maybe, maybe not.
>>You also have to completely re-engineer things.
True. It might worth it, and it might now. That’s totally up to the project.
>>Finally, and I know I am a heretic here, I just cannot get over the idea that JavaScript and iFrames are the future of SharePoint development.
Have a look around, outside of the SharePoint world. Maybe Facebook does the same trick, and maybe there are some reasons for that 🙂
>>So the bottom line is that for on-prem (not 365, that’s a different story) the current cloud app model offering will do nothing for end users, will bring added uncertainty and therefore risk to projects will cause ‘real’ developers to toss and turn at night and will cost customers more. That’s a tough sell!
Why? For instance? “The current cloud app model offering will do nothing for end users” <– for instance? CSOM is there, all good 😉
>>Finally, finally how certain are we that this really is the future?
Yea, and this is a good future lots of folks were keen to see 🙂
>> A few years back the future was Silverlight
Maybe it was not the future, but temporary competitor to the Adobe AIR.
All good, let’s rock! 🙂
