[Lazarus] FCL-web and bandwidth usage

[Michael Van Canneyt]

On Tue, 27 Mar 2012, ABorka wrote:

>>> michael.vancanneyt at wisa.be schrieb:
>
>> If it was not for that small detail, I would not touch web programming
>> with a long stick. No set standards, different and ever-changing
>> browsers, a language that sucks big time. But alas...
>> 
>> Michael.
>
> ...And it does not matter what platform they are using, it will work without 
> problems. No drivers needed, no libraries needed, no version issues.

That's a joke ?

[ for those not interested, hit 'delete' now! ]

Let me present: "A year in the life of a web developer"

4 Apps developed and working perfectly in FF 3.6, Chrome, Safari on Mac OS.

Comes along tester with version 5 of FF. Bang, all broken.

Tester comes along with IE 6/7/8 - Bang, all broken.

[test again in ALL versions of ALL browsers]

[1 week later: OK, let's drop IE 6, that's REALLY old]

Comes along tester with version FF 10, bang, app AND Firebug debugger broken.

Apps deployed.

Early adopter user with IE 9. Half the screen does not function anymore.

[searching internet forums] Oh shite, ExtJS 3 does not support IE 9.

[solution found:] Damn, need to upgrade to version 4 of ExtJS.

[reload app with extJS 4] Ow crap, the WHOLE ExtJS api has changed.

[Gradually the truth sinks in:] Backwards compatibility: 0,001% and sinking...

[6 weeks of work reworking 4 apps *from scratch*]

Not to mention all the fine-tuned, pixel-perfect CSS that needs to be reworked 
100% and tested in all versions of all browsers - because the web always looks 
nice and hip. 
We outsourced all that, and that costs us more than the initial development.

Then some braindead safari user on a iPad cannot type a . in a numerical field 
because his internationalization settings are screwed up - again problems.

The list continues. And all of this is REALITY, not made up.

[Stay tuned for more fun in webland with our next requirement, problems guaranteed:] 
Have the login in the browser work with the Belgian E-ID card.
Meaning: Java needed in the browser, smartcard reader support needed, 
at least JDK version XYZ, by default NOT installed in IE and whatnot.

>From my point of view, the versioning problem just got a lot worse. 
The Windows OS and API is a haven of tranquility by comparison, 
and the lord knows we cursed MS many times.

So, no, in my experience, web is definitely not better than desktop.
I guess it depends on the kind of website you're trying to make....

But now I really stop; it's getting really OT.

Michael.