Is there no scope for a Windows application now?

Question

My boss has asked me to write a CMS for a web-application. A place from where the user can customize all the necessary details, upload images etc. I know PHP but not JQuery. So things became difficult for me. I am proficient in .NET Windows applications, but my boss says it;s an end to Windows-based apps.

He is right I know, but I want to know is it really not worth putting any efforts on Windows-based applications?

Answer 1

Your boss isn't necessarily right. The choice between web-based apps and Windows-based apps lies in the distinction between Reach vs. Richness.

If you need to reach out to a lot of people running on many different platforms, a web-app is a good choice - particularly if you base it on simple, standards-compliant HTML. However, you sacrifice some Richness like a more responsive UI, keyboard shortcuts, etc.

If, on the other hand, you are targeting users in a controlled environment, a rich UI may be a better choice. This is especially true if you are developing an application for users who spent significant amounts of their time using the app. Such users might get tired of a web-based app really fast.

In any case, however, Windows Forms applications are a thing of the past. If you want to build rich UIs on .NET today, you should go with WPF or Silverlight.