PushToTest Web (pttweb)

[fcohen]

New architecture (possibly a new product) to enable Web browser access to a repository of tests, scheduler to operate tests, and Web dashboard of test operations. See specification document at http://downloads.pushtotest.com/pttweb/PTTWebSpec.pdf

[fcohen]

The PTTWebSpec.pdf defines the user interface as Ajax using DWR. Ilya Sterin argues that pttweb should be using Flash and Flex. Here is an instant messenger (IM) conversation about this issue:

Ilya: Flex is definitely the best way to provide rich ui experience these days. I dread the days of ajax and the painful 6 months of providing ajax functionality to our prism project simple ajax is good, but when you start getting into large complex application architectures, ajax just doesn't scale well when it comes to code. we had megabytes of javascript code downloaded to the client to provide 50% of what we initially wanted.

frank i'm planning to take an Ajax approach to building PushToTest Web, the Web-based version of TestMaker 5.1 We will deliver a bunch of server-side services and objects to create, schedule, and operate tests. We will then use TIBCO GI and DWR to expose the client-side.

Ilya: We have about 3 different apps in flex. I would highly recommend you look at flex before engaging in an ajax web app exercise. The other thing, is that with apollo, you'll be able to run the same app as a desktop app

frank I'm open to considering flex, but I'm also a cheapskate and publishing an open-source project. how much did the flex license or, are you saying go flash client (plus apollo desktop client) talking to a soap or rest backend (ie- no flex)?

Ilya well, flex sdk is free and anyone can develop with it for free, deploy and distribute.

frank what do you spend Adobe bucks on?

Ilya: flex builder, the gui builder tool is what costs it's I think 400-500 a license but you can build flex apps without it as you can build java apps without IntelliJ

frank so I could spend $500 to equip one of my engineers to build the flash front end, and have another engineer write the backend using whatever?

Ilya: flex compiled compiles the code into flash runtime, so it will work in browser and apollo runtime on desktop yup trust me, you'll save 20 times in development costs and the quality you'll get will be untouched by any ajax front end also... also, hessian now has flex support for binary web services if you don't want to use xml http://hessian.caucho.com/#Flash

frank nice thanks. I'm going to post your comments to the enhancement ticket for this work.

Ilya: ok, let me know if you need anything else.

[fcohen]

PushToTest assigned Jimmy Foulkes of Avantica to do 3 weeks of architectural work on PushToTest Web (PTTWeb). I authored draft 2 of the PTTWeb specification document. Jimmy's work will result in an engineering Design Document in mid-January 2008. I continue to enhance the specification document and learn TIBCO GI to prototype the user interface.

Download Draft 2 of the specification document is at: <a href="http://downloads.pushtotest.com/pttweb/PTTWebSpec-draft2.pdf">http://downloads.pushtotest.com/pttweb/PTTWebSpec-draft2.pdf</a> ~ -Frank