Choices for smartphone accessibility of pre-existing vb.net/sql server desktop crud application

Question

The application is vb.net front end and sql server express backend. The networks are always cabled LANs. Installations are small with only a few users, none of whom would have any technical knowledge. Very little technical support is ever called for and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't know Java or Objective C or HTML/CSS/Javascript which as far as I can see seem to be the choices for smartphone development on Android, iphone or web based application I want users to be able to access as much of the functionality of the application as possible for the least effort both in terms of coding and acquiring new skills on my part.

I don't know where to start or which would provide the easiest path. I don't know how to make the database available to smartphones whilst keeping it physically secure in a small office. If all things were equal I'd probably learn towards HTML/CSS?Javascript as it seems to be the most widely applicable. On the other hand maybe I should wait for win phone 7?

Answer 1

Well, .NET Compact Framework is already avaialbe on WinMobile, so you defenitely should give it a try if you're free to choose which mobile OS to target.

If not, I suppose that for task like this it would really be better to use web interface. If you don't now HTML/CSS/JS - as for me it's not a problem but a great chance to learn new interesting trendy things! :)

Answer 2

I would go with a simple html app designed for a mobile screen.

Android or iphone will only get a % of your users. If you want to get them all, you would need to write in both (and then blackberry and winmo are SOL).

So without seeing the application, it is very hard to know how much work converting vn.net to something you can get at from a web browser would be... but I don't think it would be much worse than a port to android or iphone, and it will allow a much bigger market to view.

Either way, you will need to learn something new. Learning is good though, right?

Answer 3

To reach the largest number of users in a device independent manner then delivery via browser is going to give you the best results for the least effort.

If you have designed you existing application with a Data Access Layer, a Business Rules Layer and a User Interface layer, this may be as simple as creating an ASP.NET UI for mobile/internet/intranet users.

If your appliciaction is not designed this way, then my approach would be to seperate out the code in you existing into these three layers, or at the very least seperate the UI layer out of the existing code. Then it just a matter of implementing a UI layer for each access method you plan to use.

That way you end up with a lot less code to maintain, and when the businees rules or backend data changes you only have to do the change in one place for all you User Interfaces.