This post is mainly for the developers and directors. Howdy!
First, we built the page by page internet. We built page1.html, linked it to page2.html and threw in some cgi-bin script we found somewhere to get a guestbook. Ooh!
Next, we developed functional php powered pages. We built page1.php and linked it to page2.php, with process.php in there somewhere to process the guestbook into our mysql database.
Next, we figured out that we wanted persistant headers/footers/database connections and started using frameworks such as Ruby on Rails or CakePHP. Maybe we used a CMS to get the job done page load by page load.
AJAX and web 2.0 were added to the mix and interactions without page load/server refreshing helped with user experience while others enjoyed Flash and Flex.
Then, a company "killed" Flash and the stripped-down-ness of mobile caused us to rethink loading Jquery or MooTools all the time for Ajax.
In a mad scramble, people started applying all of the above for their new custom solutions. Javascript emulating Flash. Javascript emulating MVC frameworks. AJAX applied to a PHP Rest Api for all page requests. A single page (index.php like a CMS) architecture applied to the front end. Examples of these are GMail and the new Hulu. They are connected to their complex backends all the time, no page loading, url routing, and do not work without Javascript.
Now, we have so many options for a "Client Side MVC" or "Single Page Web Application that allows real time database binding and bookmarkable links". Backbone, Ember, (Local Candidate!) Can, Knockout, and what I've been personally learning, AngularJS from Google.
Are these complex front-end systems fads that will fall away? Are they solid enough to build your business on? Can we say that Javascript is a customer requirement rather than a graceful degradation? Is this Web 3.0 and is AngularJS basically HTML6 for it's "add custom tags to your html and ask questions later" approach?
For an example of AngularJS, here is an income balance sheet:
https://simplydo.com/projector/
and here is a simple CRUD Christmas thoughts list I ported from https://coenraets.org/blog/2012/10/nodecellar-sample-application-with-backbone-js-twitter-bootstrap-node-js-express-and-mongodb/
https://andymartha.com/imgs/angular/
If you are doing or considering something for your business in Angular, please message me or comment below as I am eager to share experiences and thoughts.
Thanks!
