The Unique Nature of Web Apps

The Unique Nature of Web Apps

Introduction:

In the early days of the World Wide Web (1990 to 1995), websites consisted of little more than a set of linked hypertext files that presented information using text and limited graphics.

Today, WebApps have evolved into sophisticated computing tools that not only provide stand-alone function to the end user, but also have been integrated with corporate databases and business applications due to the development of HTML, JAVA, xml etc.

Attributes of WebApps :

Network Intensiveness

Concurrency

Unpredictable load

Performance

Availability

Data driven

Content Sensitive

Continuous evolution

Immediacy

Security

Aesthetic

Network intensiveness.

A WebApp resides on a network and must serve the needs of a diverse community of clients.

The network may enable worldwide access and communication (i.e., the Internet) or more limited access and communication

(e.g., a corporate Intranet Network Intensiveness)

Concurrency : [ Operation at the same time]

A large number of users may access the WebApp at one time. In many cases, the patterns of usage among end users will vary greatly.

Unpredictable load :

The number of users of the WebApp may vary by orders of magnitude from day to day. One hundred users may show up on Monday; 10,000 may use the system on Thursday.

Performance :

If a WebApp user must wait too long (for access, for server side processing, for client-side formatting and display), he or she may decide to go elsewhere.

Availability :

Although expectation of 100 percent availability is unreasonable, users of popular WebApps often demand access on a 24/7/365 basis.

Data driven :

The primary function of many WebApps is to use hypermedia to present text, graphics, audio, and video content to the end user.

In addition, WebApps are commonly used to access information that exists on databases that are not an integral part of the Web-based environment (e.g., e-commerce or financial applications).

Content sensitive:

The quality and artistic nature of content remains an important

Determinant of the quality of a WebApp.

Continuous evolution:

Unlike conventional application software that evolves over a series of planned, chronologically spaced releases, Web applications evolve continuously.

It is not unusual for some WebApps (specifically, their content) to be updated on a minute-by-minute schedule or for content to be independently computed for each request.

Immediacy:

Although immediacy—the compelling (forceful) need to get software to market quickly—is a characteristic of many application domains,

WebApps often exhibit a time-to-market that can be a matter of a few days or weeks.

Security:

Because WebApps are available via network access, it is difficult, if not impossible, to limit the population of end users who may access the application. In order to protect sensitive content and provide secure mode of data transmission, strong security measures must be implemented.

Aesthetics : [Artistic / Visual]

An undeniable part of the appeal of a WebApp is its look and feel. When an application has been designed to market or sell products or ideas, aesthetic may have as much to do with success as technical design.