| Apple WebObjects |
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| Written by Andrew Lindesay | |||||||||||||||||||
| Monday, 03 March 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||
NZ Macguide Issue 8
Some small organisations can deliver as much as they need by just putting a few web pages online, but other organisations need database integration and can get all they need by writing some scripts. However, many businesses outgrow these simple infrastructures and require more sophisticated software to drive their systems, manage their data and maintain their software. Typically, a company will choose a richer infrastructure on which to base their more complex software. This saves them considerable time and money as they don't need to build it all themselves. We call this infrastructure on which these business systems run 'application server' - the server software you need to have written for you to embody your requirements, and which makes the web pages go, is called the 'application'. The application attaches to the application server and operates within it, benefiting from the services afforded.
WebObjects is a package that additionally offers a development studio for construction of the application itself. Application servers range in price from nothing through to many tens of thousands of dollars. They also range considerably in their feature sets. Some application servers do little, but others offer a great deal and come with tools that vastly accelerate your development time and 'grease the rails' in getting your product deployed. Many companies are using WebObjects to deliver their business systems and a prime example of this is the AppleStore from Apple Computer. A more local example is an application called VirtualCurator, which drives ArtFind. This application is from Innovanet Ltd with the WebObjects infrastructure from Lindesay Electric Ltd. WebObjects' development studio tools can be used on Mac OS X (or Windows-2000) and the applications produced are 100% Java compatible. This means you'll need a Java developer with suitable software design skills to work with WebObjects.
While there is a relatively steep learning curve with the technology, once the skills are attained, WebObjects facilitates a rapid development process. WebObjects comes with visual data-modelling software and an 'object-persistance' system called EOF which finally puts a stop to writing SQL in code. Instead, developers work in an object-model which is backed by visual development tools. It also comes with visual tools to help integrate data into web pages using click-and-drag mechanisms.
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© Parkside Media 2003
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Many people want to make services such as catalogues, banking products, workflow management and booking services accessible via web browsers. Advantages include being able to reach massive target audiences over the internet or being able to centrally manage internal systems in organisations.
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