I have read a bit about CSLA through other sources linked from this website (and just purchased the Expert C# 2005 book). Of the users out there who are using CSLA for their mission-critical apps, have any of you encountered any major drawbacks to committing to and using / implementing CSLA (i.e. to the point you had to remove it, or chose to change to use a different framework)?
Please excuse my cautiousness -- I just am interested in learning more about other's experiences before I commit to (even learning) another framework...
Thanks,
Chadwick
I hope others do chime in with their experiences in this regard.
For my part however, I can only say that I've been building and maintaining this framework for over 10 years at this point. It is hard to believe it has been that long, but the first public version became available in 1996, and the core of it was in use privately in late 1995.
There was a major breakpoint from COM to .NET, which is to be expected given such a dramatic platform change, but within the context of the COM and later the .NET frameworks, I have put a substantial emphasis on backward compatibility - balancing it against the inevitable need to keep up with Microsoft's changes to their platform and the needs of this broad user community.
At least in the near term, .NET 3.0 and 3.5 don't appear likely to cause any major shakeup. They provide some nice features, but features that incorporate into the pre-existing CSLA .NET world-view pretty smoothly.
Beyond that it is hard to predict exactly what Microsoft might do. But like me, Microsoft has proven that they value backward compatibility, and favor evolution over revolution where possible. So I would be surprised to see a radical platform shift from them in the real near future. And without a radical Microsoft shift, it is unlikely that there'll be a driver for a radical shift in CSLA .NET.
I've been using CSLA (in all its different forms) since 1999. From a framework perspective, the concepts have pretty much remained constant. However, technology has forced/dictated changes. As Rocky mentioned, going from COM (anyone remember Get/SetState and Superstate?) to .NET required some rearchitecting of the framework, even though the overall goals remained the same. Likewise, the introduction of generics in .NET 2.0 gave Rocky the ability to add/streamline the framework even more.
Another plus - Rocky's commitment to CSLA as well as the community support. Rocky gives us the source code (which I highly recommended reviewing - it will help you understand the ins/outs of what's going on). Simply browsing this forum will demonstrate how active he is in giving feedback/advice (as well as other users).
I appreciate the feedback. I have noticed Rocky does participate in the forums much more so than other "software providers".
I guess I have some reading to do! :)
Chadwick
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