I’m finding myself split on the value of Backbase’s strict, clean abstraction layer. No doubt this hides much of the complexity of JavaScript in a very tidy way, but it also removes some of the understanding that makes it possible to squeeze out the most performance from the platform. If you’re a programmer who likes to write, as they say, close to the metal, then you’ll be put off by this abstraction. But if you’re the type who likes and trusts the abstraction layer to do the right thing for you, well, then the Backbase approach is heaven.

Backbase is aware that some people feel this way. Jouk Pleiter, the co-founder and CEO, told me that Version 4.0 will offer a variety of programming models. You’ll be able to use the standard Backbase XML, BXML, but you’ll also be able to use more generic Web standards such as XForms and the more standard JavaScript code.

Backbase has been concentrating on beefing up its support on the server. Its packages now include drop-in development tools for Java Struts and Java Server Faces. Microsoft .Net is supported, but only with the generic AJAX Client edition that connects with any server. If you’re heavily invested in these frameworks, then it makes sense to experiment with Backbase. It already speaks the same language, and it makes it relatively simple to drop these into place.

Bindows 2.5

The Bindows package is the most straightforward of the lot. You create your code in a mixture of XML with embedded JavaScript. Most of the layout is defined by XML tags, but some parts of the behavior are defined by creating JavaScript functions. If you want your package to load a bit faster, you can purchase a separate compiler that turns the XML into JavaScript.

The server support is minimal. After you build your application in XML and JavaScript, you let your server deliver it statically. (Using dynamic tools, if you needed to do so you could wire up with little trouble the XML defining the user interfaces.) In the normal design patterns, the server will communicate with the client via SOAP or XML-based Web services.

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The Bindows language is one of the saner approaches to this domain. Although the applications are technically defined in XML, there are large blocks of JavaScript embedded in CDATA tags. The result makes it easier to use JavaScript when you need it. Others use a purer, more complete abstraction with a more extensive XML dialect.

That may be prettier, but I’ve found it’s more likely to generate grief when you’re trying to do something in a manner that differs from what the XML language designer imagined. This is, however, largely a matter of taste, and I know competent people who take a completely opposite view.

Bindows is proud of the way its framework makes it easier to comply with the Section 508 regulations that require federal government Web sites to be accessible to the disabled. The

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framework comes with additional hooks that pass the events to speech synthesizers for the blind. You can add functionality for the blind by editing a few extra definition files, and the results will be integrated with your site.

The major thrust for development at Bindows seems to be adding more action to more sophisticated graphics. An alpha version of its animation framework lets you morph any of the parameters of the basic object. A linking package lets you link draggable icons with arrows and lines, providing a nice tool for illustrating flowcharts and other processes.

JackBe NQ Suite 4.6.1       

The last time I took a look at JackBe NQ Suite, the product was an IDE that let you build complete applications in a browser. It was like a newer, more streamlined version of Tibco’s General Interface without some of the sophisticated graphics. That core product has gotten better, and the scope of the product line has grown dramatically.

NQ Suite now offers a clean, crisp IDE called the JackBuilder. It’s a more mature approach that’s a bit easier to use. Although the user interface of the JackBuilder tool seems to have fewer buttons than Tibco’s tool, this simplicity may be an advantage. I often found myself getting lost in Tibco’s menus.