Alpha Anywhere Product Roadmap and Overview

Selwyn RabinsPresident and Co-Chairman

Alpha Software

Overview

• Alpha Anywhere - Full-stack, low-code, platform for developing and deploying web and mobile applications.

• Version 3.0– Major enhancements to the List control in the UX

to support disconnected applications– Many other enhancements

Recent Developments

• Server-side• Client-side• Deployment

Roadmap

• Server-side JavaScript• Node.js• Oauth• Reporting• Datasources• NoSQL databases

Server-side Roadmap

• Why?– One language client side and server side – Most popular language in the world – Fast– Multi-threaded– V8 engine is cross-platform

• Demo– .a5w page written in JavaScript that does a SQL query– .debugging server-side JavaScript

Server-side JavaScript

• Xbasic to Javascript translation (demo)– User Code– System code (goal is to allow Alpha Server to run

on Linux)

• Components.a5w– Server-side event handlers in either JS or Xbasic

Server-side JavaScript (Cont’d)

• Calling Node.js services from Xbasic (or Server-side JavaScript)

• Exposing Alpha services to Node.js

Node.js

• Authentication done (login with Google, etc).• Consuming services (e.g. Google drive,

calendar)• OData

OAuth

• Strong SQL support• Web services• Odata• Salesforce• SAP• Siebel, etc.

Datasources

• Custom data sources (demo)• JSON and XML datasources from web services• Templates

Reporting

• Mongo (demo)• Couch• Pouch - Built-into Alpha (Pouch runs both SS

and CS)

NoSQL Databases

• Disconnected application enhancements• Touch optimized forms• Large Single Page Applications (SPA)• Client-side data store• 3rd Party Library Integrations• New style builder

Client-side Roadmap

• Local storage for pure HTML5• PhoneGap file system for hybrid apps• Image capture (both HTML5 and hybrid)• Video/audio capture• Static HTML pages / Application Cache (demo)

Disconnected Apps

• Editors– Many fields share same editor - benefits?– Editors are instantiated in slide-in Panels or Windows– Text editing can at top of screen

• Template driven layout

• Keyboard optimization

• Built on new 'ViewBox' (demo)

• User-defined keyboard/keypads

Touch Optimized Forms (Demo)

• What is a SPA?

• Why do you need large SPAs?– Disconnected Applications

• UX ‘Sections’

• Advantages of a SPA over dynamically loading child components– One namespace– Light DOM load to keep performace good

Large Single Page Applications

• MVC Pattern– Angular ‘friendly’– Fits well with disconnected applications

• Bind UI controls to the client-side data store

Client-side Data Store

• Angular • 3rd party control libraries - e.g. KendoUI

3rd Party Libraries

• More 'SASS' friendly• Easier to use• Map 3rd party styles (e.g. Bootstrap) to AA

themes

New Style builder

• IIS • Alpha Cloud

Deployment Roadmap

• Benefits of IIS– Tight integration with ASP.net– Performance– Scaleability– No need for Always Up

• Tighter integration into IDE – Eventual goal of replacing existing Application Server

IIS

• 3rd deployment option– Self hosting– ISP hosting– Alpha Cloud

Alpha Cloud