Completely web-based applications are becoming quite popular these days with services like Google Apps, however there apps are designed for one specific task, say, word-processing or email. I had the pleasure of demoing something that’s quite likely the next generation in web applications. Iceberg on Demand is essentially a web application making web application, albeit an incredibly powerful one. Iceberg on demand is intended for business applications, and aimed at those businesses that may not have the time or resources to develop applications themselves. You can create web applications to automate common business tasks, and get this, there’s no coding involved. Iceberg is what’s known as a framework, or platform. This provides users with a set of tools and an interface to put the tool together, and you can make whatever application you need. Iceberg’s interface is quite clean and application building is all done through an oh-so-cool-web2.0 drag-and-drop. You can create anything from client lists, to booking systems, to email programs, and you can do it all in a matter of hours.
Creating an Application
Iceberg starts out quite simply. They give you the tools to make you application and you have complete control. Creating an application is incredibly easy thanks to a graphical flowchart view showing you how the different parts of the application work together. It’s quite intuitive to create what could be a very complicated application; this is thanks to Iceberg’s interface, which has been quite well designed.
The Interface
Iceberg’s interface works very well to simplify what must be quite complicated operations under the hood. AJAX is used throughout the site, but it’s non-obtrusive. Graphs are colourful, but still readable. Small touches like and auto-fill list among customer names are numerous and very helpful. The application does as much of the work as it can without hurting the flexibility of the system.
What can you make?
Iceberg’s biggest plus is its flexibility. I was surprised at just how much you could make with the system. Almost any business application you can think of can be made using iceberg. The great thing about that? The applications can all use each other’s information. If you’ve made a system that schedules shifts for example, it will cross-reference availability information automatically, it’s quite smart. Iceberg allows you to define variables, objects, forms, etc and organize them to your liking. You can define how variables are passed, what happens at a decision, and build your application from the ground up using a flowchart.
What about security?
Iceberg will host all applications on its servers, charging customers per year to use the service. This may create a security risk with very sensitive data. However Wayne Byrne, head of product development for Iceberg has assured me security is a top priority for the team. They use SSL connections and an SAS 70 secure server to maintain transmission security, as well as extensive permissions for users within the system.
Overall I was quite impressed with the demo I saw of iceberg, and I started thinking, if businesses are able to develop their applications without web developers, I might be out of a job! However during the demo, it was suggested that I could use the system myself and ‘re-sell’ the applications I had made to businesses. Brilliant! I thought, it won’t put me out of a job but in fact could make my job easier! ….Just as long as the client doesn’t realize how easy this system is to use!
Iceberg is releasing a public beta very soon, so I suggest you hop over to their site and sign up for the trial. You really have to use the system yourself to understand the flexibility.
Iceberg On Demand
Popularity: 3% [?]
Remember back in school when you’d trade CDs or video games with your friends?
Loading ...
