Darryl Lyons’ Blog

JavaScript/AJAX isn’t always the best tool for the job. Over the last 2 years, I’ve been the principal developer on the CRM project at work. For most of that time, it has primarily been a Javscript, Web-enabled application.

Recently, we have realised that we’ve hit the wall with what is possible with JavaScript and HTML (especially when the target platform is IE6+). We are now moving to the Java-based RCP (Rich Client Platform), which is part of the Eclipse framework.

I believe that JavaScript frameworks have a place, but I do not think it is within enterprise-critical applications. When the environment is controlled and scalability and performance is a factor, you should carefully consider your options before joining the AJAX bandwagon.

The sysadmin type people at my work don’t want to move to IE7 probably until there is an SP1 release. While I understand their reluctance, it is frustrating developing for IE6 knowing that a better corporate SOE alternative exists! A lot of the leak issues we experience now will be minimised, and the speed improvements alone are a compelling reason to upgrade.

I hope Microsoft release a SP1 release soon.. What if they never do, and we have to wait until IE8!?

However, there are other issues.. Other internal/external web applications, that the organisation relies upon, will need to work with the new version, and I don’t think we will upgrade until that can be guaranteed.

We’ve finally gotten a new technical writer at work. Well, I say new, but I really mean, our first technical writer. We’re lucky, because without her I do not think we would have been able to keep on top of things. Our environment is becoming quite complex, and is evolving at a very fast pace. Developers are pretty bad at documenting what they build, including myself.

A technical writer will keep pushing us to explain ourselves, and in the process, produce documentation that existing and new staff members will be able to digest.