[Tfug] Browser based UI's

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Joshua,

>   this is a good point, but
> historically the commercial browser
> environment resisted the introduction of java to the
> UI.  GWT is an interesting evolution in that it relies on web standards
> like HTML and Javascript.  There are many situations I see where
> people are building
> web apps for a limited user set and would probably save a
> lot of money just by deploying in Java.

Let me rephrase this.  If a PL like Java had existed BEFORE
"The Internet", (e.g., C vintage) would people have adopted a browser
type model for deploying *real* (heavyweight) applications?
Think about it.  There is nothing that explicitly ties Java to
a "web based deployment".  You can run Java apps "locally".

Would developers rush to embrace such an environment -- with its
performance issues, etc. -- *just* to save themselves the trouble
of porting their (C, C++, Pascal, etc.) applications to a new
"system"?  Or, wouldn't it be easier for them to develop
libraries that "virtualized" the user interface and link those
to their applications instead of virtualizing the entire *machine*?