I've been in the application-development business for a long time. Seven
years ago, I had my trusty AS/400 "toolbox" containing the
tried-and-true tools for developing any type of business application. All I
needed was RPG, CL, DB/400, and a few display files, and I was off and running.
Then we moved to a LAN environment and were faced with new challenges. So we
learned NetWare, FoxPro, Visual Basic, and Microsoft Office. We gave up some
scalability to build flexible, good-looking applications. But what if I
want flexibility, a GUI, and scalability?
Let's face it client/server is the technology for mid- to high-level
application development It promises flexibility and scalability. Many of you
already have several client/server applications in production. The question
isn't whether to do
client/server but how to do it
The first thing you'll need to get is a bigger toolbox. We can't rely on one
language or methodology to get the job done anymore. Ifs going to take a lot of
pieces to make it happen. On the positive side, the hardware and software
available on Windows NT to develop client/server applications are impressive.
Today, almost all development languages and database servers run natively on NT.
But what's really compelling is the next wave of application-development tools.
Open your toolbox and throw in telephony (TAPI), messaging (NIAPD, speech (SAPD,
cryptography (CAPI), security, object-oriented programming, Web development OLE,
wireless computing, distributed objects, scaleable hardware, multimedia, and
more. All this technology will be available-in some cases exclusively-on Windows
NT.
One of the benefits of working for a magazine is that we get to review all
the new software tools available for NT Our MIS department is right next to the
Windows NT Magazine Lab, and the MIS staff is always inventing
excuses to check out the new stuff we've received. Currently, we're working
together on a Web-based NT Products & Services Directory. We're using a new
Web development tool, Cold Fusion, to dynamically build the directory from data
stored in Microsoft SQL Server on an NEC MIPS server. You can check out our
progress on our Web site at http://www.winntmag.com.
Our lab has also spoiled us with the hardware "tools" available
for Windows NT. Several years ago, we had to add more NetWare servers to "scale"
our applications. Now we're running multi-CPU Pentium, Alpha, MIPS, and PowerPC
machines that can scale beyond most minicomputers today. Instead of bumping up
against the edge of performance, we can plan our growth based on existing server
technology. Currently, we're working with four-CPU servers. But vendors, such as
Tricord and Intergraph, have announced six- to eight-CPU P6 systems, and AT&T
has announced that its WorldMark systems will support Windows NT with up to 16
CPUs!
It's exciting to be involved with an operating-system platform that both
works today and doesn't lock you out of future tools and technology.
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