[mapguide-internals] Future Development Options for Web Server Extensions and new High Performance Viewer

[Carsten Hess]

Ok, I tend to stay quite on this list but this is something of interest to me. I agree that client side rendering could help one aspect of the "scalability" of the server.

So far the discussion has been all platform related but not talked about what the capabilities of such a client would be. Porting some of the code and API's would not be trivial to say the least. So I have my doubts that a heavy client would have the same "features" as MapGuide does today unless you can reuse code.

As for platform, Traian quoted I think Stroustroup to me about a week having said "Java is not platform independent - Java is a platform". I totally agree with that whoever said it and I think flash is even more so a platform. Many small devices do support open web technologies like canvas and HTML5 but won't support Java or Flash. The most extreme example is the IPhone / Pod platform. Looking forward I believe that these devices will be more important than the intranet /internet / web-browser.

Anyways, I think the real influence I would like to have on this discussion is to point out how much functionality there is on the server that would need to move or be given up / replaced.

Cheers,
  Carsten 



-----Original Message-----
From: mapguide-internals-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:mapguide-internals-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Zac Spitzer
Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009 7:56 PM
To: MapGuide Internals Mail List
Subject: Re: [mapguide-internals] Future Development Options for Web Server Extensions and new High Performance Viewer

but openlayers is the defacto js api for geo spatial,
and there are a lot more javascript developers than flash,
plus it would 'just work' with our existing fusion client
and also cool things like GeoExt



2009/12/25 Jason Birch <jason at jasonbirch.com>:
> It may be more productive to contribute to OpenScales; it's based on
> the OL idea, but in flash. It's not especially fast (I think its still
> thinking mostly about rasters) but I think with the right contributors
> it could be and duplication of effort / NiH sucks :)
>
> Jason
>
> On 2009-12-24, Zac Spitzer <zac.spitzer at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I'd propose that what ever gets done, should be based on Openlayers
>> as a dynamic layer. That way we can leverage everything else already done
>> in OL. It also reduces the amount of work required by a factor of like 100,
>> plus there's a lot more dev's around in OL land
>>
>> Plugins are rather 1990's, I agree with Jason that flash is a good option,
>> but it i reckon it should just be a layer renderer which fits into the
>> OL framework
>> if at all possible....
>>
>> The possibilities with HTML5 Canvas are pretty cool...
>>
>> As for browser support, I would suggest, shock horror, we only target modern
>> browsers, forget IE6 completely, and given the rumours about IE9 supporting
>> real world javascript peformance, perhaps ignore IE7 and even IE8, as
>> neither
>> supports Canvas
>>
>> that said, a flash layer for OL would avoid that problem :)
>>
>> 2009/12/25 Jason Birch <jason at jasonbirch.com>:
>>> Oh, and I'm running on about 3 hours sleep in last 48, so sorry if that
>>> was
>>> overly cranky :)
>>>
>>> 2009/12/24 Jason Birch
>>>
>>>> I can't believe that custom ActiveX or Java are seriously being
>>>> considered.
>>>>  Is there no organisational memory of how much of a pain in the ass it
>>>> was
>>>> for customers to maintain multiple implementations of MapGuide just to
>>>> make
>>>> sure that everyone could use it?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> mapguide-internals mailing list
>>> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
>>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Zac Spitzer
>> Solution Architect / Director
>> Ennoble Consultancy Australia
>> http://www.ennoble.com.au
>> http://zacster.blogspot.com
>> +61 405 847 168
>> _______________________________________________
>> mapguide-internals mailing list
>> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>>
> _______________________________________________
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>



-- 
Zac Spitzer
Solution Architect / Director
Ennoble Consultancy Australia
http://www.ennoble.com.au
http://zacster.blogspot.com
+61 405 847 168
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