RCP Ideas

Enterprise applications are typically not meant for every one. The users targeted are specialized and knowledgable. The application providers can exploit this aspect and deliver optimized systems for this section of users. Rich UI and client side processing are the exploitable aspects. The problem of connecting client systems to servers is still open. Writing custom socket code or coming up with custom user agents are some solutions. If re-inventing the wheel is not your cup of tea, then the following is for you.

The idea is to use Http unit to communicate with web-apps. Httpunit is developed with the intention of testing webapps on the lines of junit. The interface functionality is tested here. A brief overview of Http unit before we dwell into the facts.
1. The core of http unit is WebConversation, This is equivalent to the application browser window.
2. The requests sent are WebRequests, these carry parameters with them. In webapps, Form submission is one example of request submission.
3. The responses are sent by WebServer, these are WebResponses

WebConversation defines a context within which WebRequests and WebResponses are exchanged. These form a conversational state.

Enough with httpunit, we will look at the possible strategies for RCP UI.

Well designed webapps are typically layered. Presentation layer is the one which feeds the UI. We can retain a simple html based pres layer, without any client validations and build an RCP presentation model on it.

Or, We can do away with the Presentation layer and straight away handle web conversations from the RCP code.

I personally prefer a html layer, It ensures a proper seperation of concerns. Note that this UI need not adhere to the W3C standards. It need not even look visually appealing, (read no complex CSS). No need to bother about client side validations either. (With the advent ot scripting to desktop apps from jdk6, we are seeing new evolutions. We now have new areas like Ajax, flash to add all the gloss).

This being said the problems of managing versions and providing updates to application clients forces new processes to be setup. One of the major benifits that a system provider would get are related to resource usage. If we design for application models on client end, we can save memory and processig speed on server side. Light weight sessions and complex algorithemic computations can be delegate to client. The server would be a data provider and a access provider.

How popular RCP is going to be, only time can tell