I mentioned I want to start a series on what does a business app actually is, how does Siena change the playground (if it does change it). I’ll start with the historic world, so what elements did a framework designed to create business app contain back, a long time ago? Of course, it needs to have an ORM (what would a business app do without an ORM?), a multitude of UIs (yes, desktop AND web), and… and this is the point when some of the frameworks I previously used stop. They keen to provide some prepackaged controls – look, how cool this grid is -, and then that’s it. So, what I think we are missing here? Validation, as one of the items. Validation throughfully the system, from db to ui, which can break and roll back… hey, I just found another missing point. Operations, that defined on… business entities! And these entities execute these through following collaborations between the items, using runtime metadata service to find out runtime information – information like data location (sharding, multiple sources). Finding out security – role based, row based with custom entitlement filters, column based. You need to cache and invalidate, provide pluggable configuration, serialization, but hey, by having serialization I can do workflows with hydrated states! Add a dash of BI (you always have to add BI), services integration, and you are… have created a compelling system that with appropriate level of documentation and support will eventually work.
So, where is the catch here? What is missing? Empowering the developer and the end user! Add entity designer, service designer, component editor, codegen, metadata explorer and editor, BI wizards, ide integration, colorful themes, clippy, – I got Light Switch! Make it work in metro design – hey, I got Microsoft Siena! So in the following posts I’ll discuss some of the elements from above in more details, but this is for just setting the general tone, and topics list.
I might be the last one people turn to when the question about Satya and whether it would make good for the company arises (is it obvious I write about Satya Nadella and Microsoft?); but still here is my personal opinion: During my career path inside Microsoft I did have the opportunity to work with some of the greatest (and I do have 'shaking elbows' picture with most of them). Who am I thinking of? Don Box (the soap and XML webservices guy), Anders Hejlsberg (the guy behind Pascal, Delphi and C#), Robert Scoble (if you haven't heard the name – he turned Microsoft to be open – channel9, blogging, ctp, etc all his idea and effort), Norm Judah (services guy), S. Somasegar (head of Developer Division), Scott Hanselman (everything and anything guy, and one of the best speakers I ever seen – whether it is about life, remote work, or… it just rocks), Scott Guthrie (the guy in the red shirt), etc. (side note: Hey, soon I can increase the picturesque hall of fame of mine with no one else but Bjarne Stroustrup himself – if you have missed it, he joined Morgan Stanley recently to work together with my group) So, why I lay out these names? I did have the opportunity to have photo shoot with Satya, but I didn't. The reason? Not feeling the omnipotence of Gates? The ever lasting burning visionary powers of Ray Ozzie? The inability to dance like a monkey? I don't really know. Just he did not radiate the same unspoken glory as the rest of the wise men. Because he was always the one who could raise on the back of giants. So, based on my experiences, the next era would be a balanced growth, with focus on some of the more conservative businesses – enterprise, developers, servers. His humbleism and down-to-earth manners will resonate well with stakeholders, but his beliefs on server and enterprise will resonate well with… stakeholders. So, the 12th place in the board will go to ValueAct, but I think by the time they actually being enacted there, most of the changes they were keen to happen will eventually start happening anyway. So… Does this mean Nadella is being supported by ValueAct? Might be the case, and we will never find it out.