Question

Why .net based windows app

Asked by: bhive

for a database browser (with a little reporting module) kind of application how do you think following two options compare
1- a Windows Application (windows App as client and db on server) in c#.net  VERSUS
2- a web browser as a client accessing db on server (asp.net, c#)

I find it hard to justify the use of a windows based .net app for such purpose.
Only one advantage (of win app in .net) over web based app that i can think of is a richer User interface.
any other ....???

in fact, going a ltttle ahead, i start thinking why would anyone use .net windows app in any case ? it could be good old win32 based app or the new era .net app using web browser.

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Asked On
2004-01-20 at 12:01:31ID20856894
Topics

.NET

,

Microsoft Programming

Participating Experts
5
Points
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: emoreauPosted on 2004-01-20 at 12:20:01ID: 10158228

Security. Database are very seldom available from the Web.

 

by: TheLearnedOnePosted on 2004-01-20 at 12:33:30ID: 10158347

Windows applications provide a much more rich set of capabilities vs. an ASP.NET.  Many of the controls in ASP.NET provide a simple set of events that sometimes can really prevent you from accomplishing a lot of things.  

If you are talking about simple interface, and you don't have a lot of tricky requirements, then a web-based application can be the right thing.

There are a lot of security issues that come with web-based applications, and exposing databases to the outside world.

 

by: wile_e_coyotePosted on 2004-01-20 at 12:59:13ID: 10158580

There is a third option:
- Windows forms application on the front-end
- Using Web services or remoting to access the database

This gives you a rich user interface and mitigates some of the security and scalability problems of a client-server (e.g. putting the db code directly inot the Windows forms app)

 

by: rovermPosted on 2004-01-20 at 13:24:06ID: 10158782

It depends on what you what to do in your client application.
Modern websites can do almost everything so there's no difference in that to a Windows application.
A windows application *can* be faster but the distribution of a webapplication is way easier (NO distribution at all).

For a .NET winapp you NEED to install the framework on each client,
for a .NET webapp you DON'T need to install the framework on each client, only on the webserver.

The database can be reached easily, just setup your security settings and connect to it.

 

by: bhivePosted on 2004-01-20 at 15:19:02ID: 10159709

roverm, thats (updates, distribution) precisely what i find troublesome in a .net win app. Web app on the other hand truns out very lean and clean.

moreover each client machine needs some decent resources (processor, memory..) to use the win .net app. The existing neglected boxes (oldies bodies running old souls 98, me) will whimp, i imagine.

wile_e_coyote, third option makes sense and probaby the only reason to justify a windows  forms based .net app. (other than the tiny gain in performance).

security is a valid issue however, if security is a concern then one would rather write a traditional win32 app. (i know the original q was about win.net vs web.net)

 

by: mail2dollyPosted on 2004-01-21 at 01:37:29ID: 10163118

In your case, if you plan to use it in your intranet or just your machine, then a windows app would be good else it would have to be a web application.

As other s have said, speed and performance, rich UI and easier ways to achieve security in windows app makes windows application better than web applications.

On the other hand since web applications work everywhere [processor/OS/environment independent] over http, they dont exactly use the client OSs best features.

If I knew that my clients have the windows execution enviroment, then in such a scenario, I would have gone for windows app.

 

by: bhivePosted on 2004-01-21 at 12:20:10ID: 10168245

mail2dolly, the app will be a commercial product sold and distributed.

thx ppl.

later on, if i a m allowed to expand scope of the topic, i realise that win.net app in vc7 makes little more sense than win.net app in c#. atleast vc7 offfers more control thr unmanaged code besides the fact that i personally feel more content with c++.

All in all, i think i can conclude that for a general purpose app, win.net using c# doesnot make any good sense, one should rather use web.net with c#+asp.net or switch back to the old-is-gold and use std win32.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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