Is this list a correct understanding of Microsoft's current application deployment options?

Question

I'm trying to get my head around the many application deployment options which Microsoft currently offers.

Doing a little research turned up dozens of confusing terms:

• "WPF App"
• "ClickOnce App"
• "WPF ClickOnce App"
• "MSI App"
• "XBAP App"
• "XBAP App deployed with ClickOnce"
• "Installed ClickOnce App"
• "WPF Web App"
• "ASP.NET Web App"
• "ASP.NET MVC Web App"
• "Silverlight App"
• "Full WPF App"
• "ClickOnce with sync framework support"

I cleaned up my findings into seven separate approaches below. Would appreciate feedback:

1. "WPF App deployed with MSI" (allows lots of installation options)

   • MSI runtime required on target computer
   • wizard with options
   • can specify per-user or per-machine
   • can modify files and registry on target computer, limited only by access permission set by administrator
   • can place shortcut on desktop
   • replacing system files, etc. makes it easy to get into DLL hell on the target computer
   • updating is a big negative: detecting available updates requires additional tools / custom programming, not built in
   • user does not have to be online to use application

2. "WPF App deployed with ClickOnce": (good if you want automatic update but runs in sandbox)

   • requires two clicks (click hyperlink, click yes), no user input
   • only for current user, no per-machine installations
   • no shortcuts on desktop
   • appears in program list like normal applications
   • applications files are always copied to ../My Documents/My Applications
   • a shortcut to your application will be put in Start menu / your company name
   • cannot modify the target computer, isolated from operating system
   • automatically detects and updates a newer version
   • published simply by putting them on a webserver (where clients detect and get them)
   • requires .NET 2.0 or later
   • comparable to Java Web Start
   • solves four problems: (1) easy deployment, (2) easy updating, (3) low-impact on target computer, (4) no need for administrator permissions.
   • considered "low impact"
   • if two users have the same ClickOnce application installed on the same machine, they will not break each other
   • employs CAS for security
   • user does not have to be online to use application
   • standalone ClickOnce apps do not work on Firefox and Mac with Firefox now since it needs the .NET runtime
   • restricted to single-window apps since they run in the browser
   • building a ClickOnce manifest is much easier than Silverlight etc, since the IDE will do almost all of it for you; you just have to host the files somewhere (could be a web URL; could be a network UNC).

3. "XBAP App": xcopy deployment of .xbap file, IE and Firefox display it instantly like a web page

   • the real goal of the XBAP model is to create a WPF equivalent to the traditional HTML-and-JavaScript website (or Flash applet)
   • the target computer simply runs the application without installation over the web in their web browser (IE or Firefox)
   • They're good for Intranet applications where you want really easy deployment, the complete .NET Framework (as opposed to Silverlight) and a browser's navigational model.
   • 99% WPF features (as opposed to Silverlight's subset of WPF features)
   • CAN be automatically deployed via ClickOnce as well but XCOPY is more common
   • YourApp.xbap is really a ClickOnce deployment manifest
   • run in sandbox
   • user must be online to use application
   • these must be "page-based" applications as opposed to "windows-based" applications
   • "An XBAP appears to run inside the brwoser simply because it displays all its content in the browser window. This is different from the model used by ActiveX controls (and Silverlight), which are loaded inside the browser process."
   • XBAPs offers a "prompt-free" experience, as long as .NET 3.5 is installed, it just shows up in the browser like a web page.s
   • XBAPs are not allowed to use WinForm controls via Interop
   • not allow to use windows drag and drop
   • most advanced WCF features are NOT allowed and XBAP can't communicate with any server other than the one where the XBAP is hosted
   • "if your application requires full trust, you should consider building a stand-alone WPF app and deploying it using ClickOnce" (Pro WPF in C# 2008)
   • trick: you can embed multiple xbap applications into multiple iframes on one HTML page.

4. "Silverlight App": runs in client's browser and uses downloaded 4MB subset of .NET framework, i.e. no 3D)

   • cross browser (applications can be used by Opera and Safari as well)
   • updating application is as easy as with ClickOnce or XBAP
   • single window apps
   • application is in the sandbox of course
   • async only

5. "ASP.NET MVC with JQuery/AJAX": a new development platform equal to development in WPF in terms of RAD and TDD

   • this approach is worth considering along with the WPF/Silverlight approaches

6. "ASP.NET App": classic web application with ViewState, etc. probably will be used less and less as ASP.NET MVC gains acceptance

7. "WinForm App": classic windows application, will be used less and less as WPF gains acceptance

I would particularly appreciate feedback on:

• how reusable are controls (e.g. if we develop in Silverlight, can we reuse our code/controls in XBAP?)
• what is the best approach to clients which are sometimes offline, sometimes online AND need access to WCF (probably clickOnce apps I would think)

Answer 1

Great Summary, Edward.

Much of the code in Silverlight can be directly used in WPF & WPF XBAP apps because Silverlight is a subset of WPF. For XAML, you will have to change the namespace URI and probably have to do some slight manual tweaking.
For XAML to Silverlight conversions, you will have to do change the namespace URI as well but refactoring might be necessary if WPF elements are used that are not in Silverlight. WPF and the Sync Framework are great options for online/offline applications. See the Syndicated Client Experience Starter Kit for an example of a WPF/Sync Framework app. Also Silverlight + Windows Live Mesh will provide online/offline capabilities.

Answer 2

You listed "MSI App". Windows Installer is Microsoft's technology for installing and upgrading programs on Windows. The installation packages it creates have the ".msi" extension. (It was originally going to be called "Microsoft Installer". They changed it to "Windows Installer", but keep the extension.) It defines a standard way to create install packages. Packages can be created by many different tools (InstallShield, WiX, Visual Studio, etc). It's not limited to WPF apps. You can use it to install almost any kind of application.

Answer 3

The deployment options MS supports for client applications are

• MSI (Any Windows app)
• Clickonce (only for .Net client apps)

Clickonce is not WPF specific.

XBAPS are clickonce deployed, browser hosted WPF apps in a trusted security sandbox. WinForms apps can be clickonce deployed and can be browser hosted.

Silverlight is (mostly) source compatible with WPF. You can recompile SL controls as WPF controls.

Non browser hosted clickonce is probably a good fit for you.

Answer 4

AppStart experience:

MSI = Only Windows. Many clicks. Install before use. Good for very huge and resource intensive apps. App can be distributed on dvd. App can do everything. No technology restrictions.

ClickOnce = Only Windows. Can be activated from webpage. Is downloaded once. Keeps info abouts it origin (Server) and can automatically update. App is restricted. Needs .NET

Silverlight = Runs on Windows/Max/Linux(soon) and future Mobiles(planned). Is a webpage or can be embedded into html. Code is on Server and will never be installed. Needs Silverligth-Runtime. Provides subset of WPF

XBAP = Like silverlight but only for windows. Nobody will need that. Silverlight is better

Programming technology:

Silverlight = Runs on client maschine. Uses WPF*

ASP.NET = Runs on server maschine in .NET but Javascript/html on client maschine.

WinForms = old technology

WCF = won't work for browser based apps. Is for distributed apps. One could open up all doors into client mashine. Using WCF = needs MSI.

WCF provides a good framework for server. You will never need WCF on client when you use REST for interfacing. The client can be connected/disconnected in ClickOnce and MSI installed apps. You have to connect to a webpage for appstart in silverlight and ASP.

XAML can be reused for silverlight/wpf/xbap. Minor changes in wpf/silverlight. No changes in wpf/xbap as I know.

Answer 5

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss XBAP as "Silverlight for Windows only". Because it uses the complete WPF set, it is possible to use the same codebase for both a WPF App and an XBAP, as long as you work within the Partial Trust restrictions imposed on XBAPs.

Also, as of .NET 3.5, WCF does work in XBAPs under Partial Trust. You can't do as much as in a full trust WPF App, but it is still useful.

Answer 6

Another deployment option made available by the Live Framework (Live Mesh vNext) is the Mesh-Enabled Web Application (MEWA). This lets you package up Silverlight, DHTML, and Flash apps to run online in the Live Desktop or online/offline on the Windows desktop. You can install a MEWA into your Mesh and have it automatically deployed to all the devices in your Mesh. If a new version of an app is released, the update can be synchronized to all devices as well.

There are hints that in addition to Silverlight/DHTML/Flash, future versions of Live Framework will support MSI and CAB packaged apps, presumably with similar deployment features.

Documentation for Mesh-Enabled Web Apps: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd199554.aspx

Answer 7

I like the answer actually