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Recently I was amazed by the following clip I found on YouTube. Scratch is a programming IDE with the intent of introducing OOP application development to the next generation of coders. I think this approach is just brilliant, becuase if you think about it class & method development may soon resemble this approach even in an IDE like Visual Studio. As I began to dig into some more videos and samples I realized how this approach could be translated, or extended, out to our user group. Recently we deployed our new Ad-Hoc reporting solution which allows power users to develop & publish custom reports, this is a very powerful concept for data mining & BI. What if this approach could be applied to actual application modules, screens & functional entities, the possibilities are quite endless. Keep a look out for IM App-Hoc coming in the near future.

Scratch takes us on a good path of accessible coding for Gen X,Y,Z and beyond, we just need to keep the younger generation motivated about the possibilities & wonderment of application development & architecture, I think Scratch is an excellent tool for the job.

There is always room for improvement in the On Demand (SAAS) marketplace, and while we strive here @ IM to always push the technology envelope we as technologists cannot lose site of our core audience. Below is an excerpt from an InfoWorld post which I felt was important to focus on

1. SaaS guys do not value the non-visual interfaces, as much as the visual application engine.

SaaS guys need to learn how to make all of the functionality that's available through the visual interfaces available through the non visual interfaces as well...typically Web services. Today, most do not, and as we look to extend the reach of our SOAs to incorporate or SaaS partners, this requirement is on the critical path.

It's easy to fix this. Okay, it?s easy to understand how to fix it, costly to implement, but this is critical to the success of the SaaS player. Indeed, non-visual interfaces (Web services) could be the way we leverage SaaS players going forward, the majority of the time.

2. SaaS guys typically don't consider integration to other SaaS players.

While the focus as been on integration between the enterprise and the SaaS, as more enterprises move their applications to SaaS, there is a growing need for SaaS to SaaS integration. Unfortunately, as customers are requesting this, many of the SaaS providers are stumped for an answer; beyond hire a bunch of developers and hoping for the best. That is what everyone thinks is the answer, and thus end up spending way to much money for a cumbersome architectures that lack agility. Don't get me started on that.

3. Many are slow in supporting true rich client technology, such as Ajax or Flex.

Thus, the SaaS delivered applications are still the old school HTTP push and pull, and thus don't have the look and feel of native applications. Flex and Ajax are here to stay, they work well, and those SaaS players that support true rich client Internet delivered applications will rule the world, and make the user experience just that much more fulfilling and productive.