Re: [vwrap] Technical basis for VW client in a web browser?

It's just a matter of being clear about why one is doing something, rather
than proceeding blindly.

If you engage in a project in full knowledge that it has no technical merit,
they you know in advance that the outcome is likely to be unsatisfactory.
It is useful to be fully aware that your efforts are being driven by
somewhat irrational factors such as group think, media hype, or inadequately
researched wishful thinking from management, rather than by technical
benefits.

It's always helpful to understand the forces that drive us to do things.
And it's usually safer to stick to those things that have a strong technical
reason for them, as they are more likely to work well.

As you say though, it's always good to have alternatives, even if they are
technically inferior, and that applies to browser-based VW clients as well.
My interest is that we understand the technical boundaries that constrain
such solutions, so that we don't aim for the impossible nor raise false
expectations in those who can't analyze the technical issues for themselves.

What this probably means in practice is that with currently foreseeable
technologies, browser-based VW clients are likely to be quite inefficient
compared to native standalone clients, possess limited functionality, and
have poorer UIs.  That is not necessarily a reason to avoid them, as long as
we realize that their niche is a limited one.

Personally, I am quite looking forward to minimalist VW clients, such as
might run in the browser of a portable tablet or smartphone, but I am in no
danger of having unrealistic expectations of them.  Others might.

Morgaine.

========================================

On Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 5:09 PM, JohnnyB Hammerer
<johnnybhammerer@cox.net>wrote;wrote:

> I don't understand why having a web based solution needs any justification
> by technical merits.  If those developing web based solutions find technical
> adequacy in web technologies to meet their goals I don't see a problem.
>
> I'll skip analogies involving lemmings.  ;-)  I will point out while I
> process most email with a dedicated email application I am very glad to have
> some web alternatives on those occasions that call for them.
>
> John.
>
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