I'm curious because I see it as a poor fit and HTML 5 seems to be a *far* better investment but then again we make commercial software for sale so maybe I'm skewed but I just can't see a future that makes any sense writing native WinRT apps using CSLA.
For that reason I wish far more effort was placed on easing the use of HTML 5 front ends and far less on WinRT but perhaps I just don't understand something fundamental here.
We've got a fairly substantial investment in a CSLA Silverlight application that is in production. The effectiveness of the Silverlight application, in no way, can be touched by an HTML5 application with the same level of effort that had been expended to date.
That said, I am highly unlikely to be advocating for a WinRT application anytime soon. I will definitely be prototyping certain things, but we need to see good adoption of not just Windows 8 but in my opinion the Windows 8 ARM devices in order to make a legitimate case for a WinRT application.
The irony is that I see our Silverlight application really on the road to becoming our desktop application - we lose cross-platform/cross-browser capabilities moving from Silverlight to WinRT, we don't gain them. Really hoping windows 8 tablets take off. If the don't, we'll have to do an HTML5 app. However, I think we're at a period of time where wait-and-see is the most prudent choice.
I'd say that we, in our situation, max 4-5 years before we have to pull the trigger. In those 4-5 years I'm hoping a productive development platform emerges that has enough acceptable reach- ideally one that leverages our CSLA objects and isn't html/javascript. I'm mildly skeptical that this happens.
One thing that has impressed me to some degree is a couple 3rd parties out there that allow the iPAD to run Silverlight applications. My boss pointed me to a second one that supposedly works totally fine on his iPAD. The delivery of the application in certain respects could prolong usability of our applications beyond the 2021 non-support, as it delivers the application in more of an image-oriented manner / it takes away the fact that Silverlight doesn't run on the iPAD. Speed is apparently not a problem and as bandwidth inevitably gets even better on average, it should continue to be even less of an issue. Whether the 3rd parties last is a whole separate question.
For now, at least, I'm in a wait and see mode for WinRT as I've got tons of legacy VB6 functionality to get into .NET and plenty to do. (We have a very hybrid-type application at present).
I assume by "writing native WinRT apps using CSLA" you mean C#/VB, XAML and CSLA, correct? Not just CSLA alone? I can think of a couple of reasons to continue to build upon these skills. Among them, it provides a relatively easy path into the WinRT development world using what you already know.
That said, I'd say there are some good reasons to become more proficient in HTML5 since it would give you broader reach for browser-based scenarios beyond just WinRT.
Interesting. Anyone?
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