Somewhat.
While I plan on all of this being a web app, I’m prototyping the look and feel with WPF. In theory I could deploy a silverlight-based app, but I don’t know how many people have silverlight available in their browser. In a few years, maybe, but not now. I would love to have parallel implementations (i.e. Silverlight version available for those that have it), but I’m trying to think small.
Nobody should start to undertake a large project. You start with a small trivial project, and you should never expect it to get large. If you do, you’ll just overdesign and generally think it is more important than it likely is at that stage. Or worse, you might be scared away by the sheer size of the work you envision. So start small, and think about the details. Don’t think about some big picture and fancy design. If it doesn’t solve some fairly immediate need, it’s almost certainly over-designed. And don’t expect people to jump in and help you. That’s not how these things work. You need to get something half-way useful first, and then others will say “hey, that almost works for me”, and they’ll get involved in the project. – Linus Torvalds
I read that this morning. Very true. I’ve tried starting a number of projects, all of which I had grand plans for, and each one has ended prematurely, largely because I’ve felt overwhelmed. Hence my stupid little zooming idea.
So, why have I put together a prototype in a technology that I likely won’t be using?
- I don’t know the other web technologies I will likely use, and it would take ten times longer to get something visibly working.
- On the flip side, I know enough about WPF that I can get something working quickly.
- I’m a visual learner and thinker, and I can iterate my thoughts and designs quicker if I can look at my ideas.
Of course, the most important reason is the instant gratification that comes from getting something working.
