In an Internet-based system, the Web becomes an integral part of the application,
rather than just a communication channel, and systems analysts need new application
development tools and solutions to handle the new systems. Two major Web-based development environments are Microsoft’s.NET and IBM’s WebSphere, which are shown in
Figure 7-4 on the next page. Microsoft regards .NET as a platform-independent software
environment. IBM describes WebSphere as a set of products specifically designed to support e-business applications across multiple computing platforms.
Although there is a major trend toward Web-based architecture, many firms rely on traditional systems, either because they are legacy applications that are not easily replaced, or
because they do not require a Web component to satisfy user needs. If you need to choose,
you should consider some key differences between traditional and Web-based system development. Building the application in a Web-based environment can offer greater benefits,
and sometimes greater risks, compared to a traditional environment. The following sections
list some characteristics of traditional versus Web-based development.