Join us in exploring the world of modern development, evolving technologies, and the art of future-proof software
Here’s a question for you: What’s the difference between a worthless business dashboard and a dashboard that makes an impact? To help you understand, take a look at the two dashboards below. Which one is better?
So, which dashboard is better? …
The 3 most important aspects of a business dashboardRead More »
If you’re an application developer, you face quite a dilemma. You must somehow build applications that are functional, attractive, and work across all browsers.
The problem is, while CSS3 brings some great new styles that can improve nearly any application, it’s not supported by every browser. What does that mean? It means your applications may look great in some browsers, but awful in other browsers.
What can you do about this problem? You can ignore the newer styles until the use of older browsers declines, but that probably won’t happen for years. Besides, this leaves you with ugly and outdated applications, which I know you don’t want. …
One way to use CSS3 in your web applications right nowRead More »
How much time and money does your company waste maintaining your legacy applications? A recent survey indicates that companies use anywhere from 70-80% of their tech budget (and countless hours) just keeping their legacy applications running.
It’s kind of like owning an old, beat-up car. The car might still work, but it lacks modern features, doesn’t run very well, and a good portion of your time and money goes into keeping that car on the road. In fact, buying a new car would probably cost less than maintaining the old one.
Modernization is similar…but different. It’s similar in the sense that modernizing your applications is often less expensive than maintaining legacy applications. However, modernization is a bit more complicated than just buying a new car. How much more complicated? The degree of difficulty varies per modernization approach. Choosing the right approach largely depends on your company’s needs and goals.
If you’d like an in-depth look at modernization requirements and methods, here’s a free whitepaper that will help you: Crash course in modernization. If you just want a basic overview of your modernization options, I’ve summarized 5 different methods below, along with the pros and cons of each: …
Native, mobile web, or hybrid? For companies considering mobile apps, that is the million dollar question. Which direction do you take?
The answer: It depends. There’s no single correct answer that applies to every situation. Each option (mobile web apps, hybrid apps, and native apps) has its own advantages. The right path for your company depends on a variety of factors, such as: What are you trying to accomplish with your app? When do you need it? Which skills do you have in-house?
Here are a couple of options to help you figure out which path is best: First, you can check out this white paper that takes an in-depth look at the topic. Secondly, we’ve put together the following comparison chart for each mobile development method. It compares the main differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each. …
Hybrid vs. Native vs. Mobile web comparison chartRead More »
One big difference between native apps and mobile web apps is how each one is accessed. Native apps are accessed via an icon located on the home screen or in the App drawer. Mobile web apps are accessed via the web browser. All in all, native apps offer simpler access by default.
Let’s fix that.
With minimal effort, your mobile web apps can offer the same ease of access provided by native apps. In fact, they will even look and feel just like native apps on your home screen.
How to create home screen icons for your mobile web appsRead More »
The difference between good and bad development tools/IDEs is like night and day. A good development tool will reduce development time and turn anyone into a web developer. A bad development tool will cause headaches, restrict your options, and even harm the company.
With so many options, how can you distinguish the good from the bad before you buy?
The key to success is finding the development tool or IDE that provides the most options and the fewest limitations. While that decision is largely based on your company’s needs, here are 7 essential elements that you should look for in any development tool or IDE: …
7 things to look for in a web application development tool or IDERead More »
Here’s a question for you: Suppose your company needs a mobile app that lets users upload photos from their current location. Does this job require the more difficult native approach, or will a simpler mobile web app meet your needs?
If you read the “6 ‘native’ features you can use with mobile web apps” article, you already know the answer. While file uploading sounds like a native-only feature, it’s actually very simple with mobile web apps. Today, I’m going to show you how. …
Here’s something you may not know: Did you realize that mobile web apps and native apps are nearly equal in terms of capabilities? It’s true. As you learned in this article from a few weeks back, mobile web apps are much more powerful than most people think.
As promised in that article, I’m going to go through some of those “native” features and explain how to use them in your mobile web apps. Today, let’s take a closer look at the first feature on the list: GPS. Specifically, I’m going to show you how to use GPS in your mobile web apps, and also give you a few ideas on ways to use it.
What’s keeping your company from modernizing those legacy applications? If our 2011 survey is any indication, the answer is “There’s not enough time.” In fact, the survey results show that modernization is the biggest need, but a lack of time keeps most companies from addressing that need.
If your company lacks the time required to modernize your legacy apps, you’ll certainly want to read this story. It explains how one very small IT staff with limited time and resources managed to modernize their legacy green-screen interface quickly. You can read the whole story here.
Application architecture is one of the single most important, yet boring topics you’ll ever run across. You’re not going to make too many friends at a party talking about technology stacks, open frameworks, or any other architecture-related themes. In fact, you’ll probably get a lot of blank stares wherever you talk about those things.
Yet, the difference between good and bad application architecture is mind-blowing. Good architecture is nearly invisible. Everything just works, it’s easy to maintain, and all of your applications operate in perfect harmony.
On the other hand, bad architecture is only invisible at the beginning, but becomes increasingly obvious over time. When you buy a new development tool or begin using pre-built software, the applications may initially work fine. But, if they’re built on bad architecture, problems will quickly arise. What exactly can you expect? Here are 5 costly problems caused by bad application architecture: …
5 big problems caused by bad application architectureRead More »