Browser-Based Web Development

Apr 2, 2008 – 11:50 by Ryan

For the last few decades, there have been two primary methods for developing software. The first is the remote model where engineers write software on a networked server. Typically, an engineer will open a remote terminal session and use either Vim or Emacs to edit source files. The other, and more popular model (currently), is local development. An engineer pulls a copy of the source to a local computer and periodically push changes back to a central repository. Both models of development work and each style has its own strengths and weaknesses. Researching both models, it is clear that a new method for development is on the horizon — browser-based web development.

Local Development Issues

Local development has issues with intellectual property (IP). Companies do not want to expose all their IP to engineers, nor do they want to provide a simple way of moving that information from one computer to another.

From a practical standpoint, centralizing a team of engineers on a web-based editor simplifies development needs and reduces the costs associated with local/native editors. Open source local editors still have costs surrounding developer setup time and synchronization of configuration amongst team members.

Browser-based source editing reduces the risk of environmental differences. When engineers write code on a local machine the likelihood that all computers will remain in sync with the production servers is decreased.

Remote Development Issues

Granting engineers shell access on a remote server can open up a host of security issues. An organization must thoroughly (and continuously) audit the security of their servers to make sure they’re not susceptible to exploitation.

Remote server development has been out of style for a few years because of the tools available. Vim and Emacs are incredibly powerful tools that include most of the functionality (as well as a lot of additional tools) found in modern IDEs. However, the learning curve for these editors can be overwhelming for some engineers.

The Future

Expect to start using browser-based editors in the next several years. If you’re a Vi user, don’t worry, there is already a JavaScript version available :-)

Happy coding!

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