Choosing the Right Presentation Technology

 

Choosing the Right Presentation Technology

How do you choose among the Microsoft .NET presentation technologies?  Use scenario-based evaluation.  At the end of the day, a technology is a set of capabilities. Map those capabilities to your scenario and requirements.  OK, great, but where do you start?  That's where our cheat sheet comes in.  As part of our Application Architecture Guidance 2.0 project, we created a cheat sheet to help you quickly find your way through the technologies:

Cheat Sheet – Presentation Technology Matrix
We posted our latest cheat sheet to CodePlex:

• Cheat Sheet: Presentation Technology Matrix (CodePlex)

Presentation Technologies
Here’s the technology combinations that we identified, evaluated and cataloged:

• ASP.NET Dynamic Data
• ASP.NET Mobile
• ASP.NET MVC
• ASP.NET Web Forms
• ASP.NET Web Forms with AJAX
• ASP.NET Web Forms with Silverlight Controls
• Compact Framework
• Silverlight
• Silverlight with AJAX
• Silverlight Mobile
• Windows Forms
• Windows Forms with WPF User Controls
• WPF Application
• WPF with Windows Forms Controls
• XAML Browser Application (XBAP) using WPF

That’s a lot of options, but that’s a good thing.  In a mature market, expect lots of options and specialization.  This helps you use the right tool for the job.  The challenge, of course, is knowing which one is the right tool, but that’s where our cheat sheet should help.  Ultimately, the cheat sheet is a support aid and doesn’t replace your own thinking or analysis.  Instead, it helps you consolidate some key information on the technologies, and help you consider some of the benefits and considerations.

Organizing the Technologies
To organize the technologies, we use a simple frame:

• Technology Summary
• Benefits and Considerations Matrix
• Common Scenarios and Solutions

By pinning the technologies against common application types (Mobile, Rich Client, RIA, and Web App), it made it very easy for us to slice and dice the technologies by relevancy, capabilities, and scenarios.

How We Created the Cheat Sheet

We started from a base set of application types and scenarios.  We vetted from experience among the p&p development team.  Next, we reviewed with various product team members, including Brad Abrams, Pat Helland, Glenn Block, and Ian Ellison-Taylor.  Next we vetted with some customers.  It’s a work in progress and we’ve been through several iterations.  In fact, the version we posted today is version 35.   Now it’s time to share with a broader community.

My Related Posts

• New Release: patterns & practices App Arch Guide 2.0 Beta 1
• Cheat Sheet: patterns & practices Pattern Catalog Posted to CodePlex
• Cheat Sheet: patterns & practices Catalog at a Glance Posted to CodePlex
• App Arch How Tos Posted to CodePlex

Published 11 November 08 11:52 by J.D. Meier

J.D. Meier's Blog : Choosing the Right Presentation Technology