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WPF, .NET, Open Source, Java Script: Time for a Reality Check?

WPF, .NET, Open Source, Java Script: Time for a Reality Check?

Q First thing first: for those who wouldn't know, who is
Xceed Software?

A We like to think of ourselves as the biggest small guy in the
component space. This has huge benefits for our partners/clients,
because we are accessible and extremely agile. If this is the first
you hear from us, well, we have been developing .NET and WPF
components since 1994, and our clients reside all over the world.
We focus on code; marketing spend is a by-product. We are
experts and not generalists. You will see this by our product line
that is concentrated on 25 key products as opposed to the
branched-out offerings of other vendors. What else can | say? We
have been recognized for one of the most powerful DataGrid on
the market for WPF, and we are leveraging from this expertise to
build our next top products. So, stay tuned! It’s getting exciting.

Q Many of your clients describe Xceed as “the” experts in
WPF: what do you think of the potential for WPF in the next
few years?

A Several years ago, many had predicted the imminent death of
WPF. There was even a time when JavaScript often seemed the
only way to go for many development projects: does this reflect
the reality in the market, now? Not if | refer to our experience at
Xceed. Two years ago, we thought we had reached the top in
terms of WPF sales (DataGrid, ToolKit, etc.), but we were wrong:
new users have kept ordering our WPF products week after
week, including some who had gone the JavaScript way with
unsatisfactory results. Up to a certain extent, this is understand-
able. JavaScript today is not where it was 3 or 4 years ago.

WPF will be alive and kicking for a couple more years.

Q How can you conciliate the fact that your company is
recognized for its leadership in WPF with the JavaScript
world?

A At Xceed, we got into the JavaScript “boat” only recently: to be
transparent, we were not sure if we were too late to the party.
But we're not! On the contrary. You see, JavaScript is a lot more
mature and structured now, more “disciplined” (think of
TrueScript, for instance). So, we're coming out with the brand
new, “fresh” technology for our clients! We're not going to be
stuck with “old” (yeah, already!) inefficient code that we would

 

have been if we had developed our products a few years ago.
Naturally, the 12-year+ experience we gained in developing our
WPF DataGrid has allowed us to avoid many pitfalls and conceive
a much better DataGrid in JavaScript! All this to say that we will
soon offer both our praised DataGrid for WPF and our new
DataGrid JavaScript version. Definitely a winning combination!

Q What about Open-source software?

A There are no doubts that there are plenty of good programs
available in the Open-source platform. But it does have its
limitation in a business context. Businesspeople | meet often
express serious concerns such as the risk for potential viruses or
malware, weak or inexistent technical support as well as legal
issues concerning actual property rights, licenses and restrictions.
Accountants, compliance officers, governments are just a few
examples of people who may be alarmed by those red flags:

we believe extreme caution should be exercised. Which is why
many organizations opt for established products that have gone
through rigorous and documented testing, and that are backed
by a tech support team. Think of it as an added insurance policy
for these big companies.

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