A friend who develops websites is thinking about getting out of the game. There are too many new technologies, too many new platforms, too much to keep up with, according to this friend. This is similar to what application developers face with having to develop for the cloud, desktop, mobile and maybe even appliance.
There’s a lot to keep up with, which is why frameworks and application development platforms are more needed than ever.
One recent offering is IBM’s (News - Alert) BlueMix, a platform-as-a-service based on open standards that allows developers to build, deploy, manage and run omni-channel applications like web and mobile, big data and other smart services.
BlueMix has more than 200 software and middleware patterns available from IBM and IBM Business Partners to help enterprise and cloud developers make portable and compatible applications for hybrid cloud. Pre-built services make application assembly simple, and it provides an integrated experience for the developers.
BlueMix DevOps allows storage and management of code by means of Git repository, built-in web integrated development environment (IDE), integrations with development tools like Eclipse and Visual Studio, agile planning, tracking and team collaboration and services for automatic application deployment.
The platform supports many programming languages and frameworks, including Android (News - Alert), iOS, HTML/JavaScript, Java, Ruby and PHP.
BlueMix deploys virtual containers utilizing OpenStack to host deployed applications, and users interact with the infrastructure by BlueMix user interface, a web-based user interface.
Savvy developers also know when to bring in a partner to help with specialized deployment, and companies are meeting the demand with deployment services to ease the burden of offering software solutions on a multitude of platforms.
Unicom Engineering, for instance, offers help with hardware application deployment and the creation of custom appliances. With the complexity of IT an issue for enterprise IT managers and not just developers, many businesses choose standalone appliances for individual software solution needs. As a result, developers catering to the enterprise market often need an appliance offering.
But building custom appliances is not easy, which is where Unicom and its decades of experience in the field come in handy. Unicom also can help with virtual appliances, another trend sought by enterprise customers that are embracing virtualization.
There may be many platforms that developers need to consider, but thankfully there are ways to keep it manageable.
Edited by Alisen Downey