Web Development SW

This category was introduced last year, keeping in mind that

the segment is likely to swing in the near future. The segment has done much

better than that. Lots of software have been developed for the Web, be it mail

servers, or e-commerce software. The Web has gone far beyond Web pages made up

of text and graphics written in HTML. Today, full-fledged applications are being

developed on the Web, and existing ones are being given a Web interface.

Therefore, you need more than a simple HTML editor to build and manage them.

Last year, users had voted Java as the most preferred

software for Web development. The trend continues this year. Perhaps it’s the

flexibility and platform independence offered by the software that gives it such

a fan following. You can create standalone applications, as well as those than

run in a Web browser using Java. With so much flexibility, it’s bound to have

strengthened its grip further. FrontPage has slipped down further on the UPI

scale. Five names had entered the User’s Choice club last year. This year,

this has been reduced to just three, with a new entrant–Visual Basic–sitting

in the last spot.

Support for Java and FrontPage is equal across all regions,

as well as households and establishments. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that

it isn’t too difficult to get started with these software. Java, for example,

is freely downloadable from Sun Microsystems’ Website, together with extensive

documentation. FrontPage, being a GUI WYSIWYG (What-you-see-is-what-you-get)

software, doesn’t take long to learn. Visual Basic is an extension of the

Basic language–the only difference being that it’s simpler to use due to its

graphical user interface.

Visual Basic’s popularity has been growing steadily, and therefore, next

year should be interesting. However, it’s too early to predict developments of

this kind.