If a Web application development tool only has server side programming capability, it should no longer be considered a tool. Such applications are already doomed to legacy.
Your development and deployment efforts will be wasted and cannot be converted to client-side at a later date. These tools produce very inefficient applications which provide scant capabilities for users. They require your developers to learn outdated technology instead of the new client technologies which they already know due to the similarity of Java with C/C++ and VBScript with VB. Server-side only applications require wasted efforts in simulating state on the server. They require herculean efforts and dangerous architectures to scale the Web site up to handle a fundamentally flawed architecture.
Sapphire/Web's capabilities-to add in any external tool, the new client side objects, and the ability to abstract Web development to a point where you can work with any existing or new protocol-is an example of Bluestone's philosophy of bringing you the "Best" of the Web. It also enables Sapphire/Web to grow just as fast as the Web can.
This is critical in this evolving and competitive industry. This versatility comes from Sapphire/Web's reliance on standards and its architecture and philosophy. What does this mean for your organization?
With Sapphire/Web, you can use existing data and applications. You can use existing skills and knowledge. You can use the best and most productive tools available. If you choose, you can have everyone in your organization (authors, database developers, programmers) help deliver information and applications that empower users to be as productive as possible.