Flash - asp.net - mysql - php - uggh

[TigerGirl7]

Hi,

I have a client who wants a CMS-controlled Flash website. They want the CMS to also be in Flash. The site is not huge, but there is a case studies section that will be changing frequently, a news section, etc.

My programmer wants to instead build the site using the following technologies:

DHTML user interface using some Ajax and some Flash

For the CMS:

ASP.NET 2.0/AJAX/DHTML/ Using a Database layer, and object written on C#, using NHibernate

Does this approach sound appropriate? What are the benefits/drawbacks of building a Flash CMS? Can results similar to Flash be gotten from this approach?

Cheers!

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

If it does the job, and the client is happy, it shouldn't matter what the CMS is written with.

Hope this helps,
Dan



Coedit Limited - Delivering standards compliant, accessible web solutions

[tt]Dan's Page [blue]@[/blue] Code Couch

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[Foamcow]

It does seem a little, um, odd, to demand a CMS written in Flash.

Your programmer is probably thinking of the time sink that a Flash project can be and the inherent problems you'll get further down the line when you need to change something.

At the end of the day you should use the technology or technologies most appropriate to meet the client's requirements. Then again, you should attempt to determine whether they want Flash simply because it does animation and they don't realise that normally the same things can be done without Flash.

In the case of a CMS, it's going to need some kind of server side technology and database platform. Flash is just the front end of the CMS. Flash itself can't do much more than provide an interface to between the user and the scripts running the site. So at the end of the day, what is Flash bringing to the party? How will it impact development time and costs? How will it be supported?

Fair enough wanting a Flash public front end, although I would wonder if what is wanted can be done without Flash using more open technologies.

A Flash based CMS, without knowing the full story, seems pretty shortsighted to me though.

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[ChrisHunt]

Since there are hundreds of CMSs already out there, I'd question the wisdom of developing a new one. Using Flash doesn't make a lot of sense to me either, but it's the client's money if he wants to burn it.

http://www.google.com/search?q=flash+cms

throws up a few likely avenues.

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[TigerGirl7]

thanks and I agree!

But as for the front end - does using asp.net make sense? any downside to this? programmers i've worked with in the past hav
e always used php

 

[TigerGirl7]

and err... what's NHibernate

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

Using ASP.net for the front-end makes no sense at all as it's a back-end technology. Flash, HTML, JavaScript and CSS are front-end technologies - .net usually simply outputs a combination of these.

As for NHibernate, I'm guessing it's a variation of Hibernate, but I'm sure a Google search will turn up a more specific answer.

Dan



Coedit Limited - Delivering standards compliant, accessible web solutions

[tt]Dan's Page [blue]@[/blue] Code Couch

http://www.codecouch.com/dan/

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