SPIN™ Overview
Spin is the world's first and only standards-based Internet Rapid Application Development Environment.
Spin uses proprietary RAD technology to make building and modifying complex
distributed networked applications an order of magnitude faster
and easier, while actually increasing application reliability,
security, and scalability.
Spin is based on a revolutionary, highly customizable visual authoring technology
that enables creative and Internet business professionals to assemble and customize
complex applications — without programming.
Components
Spin goes far beyond existing development tools. Spin is a framework based on
components. This means:
- Spin can use off-the-shelf components from hundreds of sources.
- You can easily reuse components you develop.
- You can share components with other users, or sell them.
- Spin works seamlessly with other tools.
- If you need a feature that is not in Spin, you can often add it yourself.
Spin World is the place for users to share, trade, or sell new components, and contains links to other sites that contain components.
Author Anything!
Spin can build:- complete, stand-alone applications
- server-side applications, including servlets to deliver dynamic web content and complete servers
- client-side applications, including applets that run in web browsers, and stand-alone clients that connect to servers
- new components that you can use in other Spin projects or even in other tools
- complex distributed applications that run across multiple servers and clients
Build Customizable Solutions
Software developers can use Spin to build solutions targeted to specific vertical markets. Unlike canned, one-size-fits-all packages, solutions built with Spin are easily modified to satisfy specific requirements and to adapt to changing needs. On the Internet, you have to differentiate yourself from your competitors, and the world changes on "Internet Time". With Spin, you can customize or even add new functionality simply by modifying or adding new components. Why settle for anything less?Run Anywhere
Spin is completely cross platform and portable. Spin runs on all major computer platforms, as do applications built with Spin. You do not need to purchase multiple copies of Spin to run on multiple platforms.Use Open Standards
Spin is based on standards, including Internet standards, language standards, standard component architectures, and database access standards. No longer are you forced to learn proprietary scripting languages or only run on certain platforms.In another first, Spin provides advanced scripting capabilities. Spin uses Java as its scripting language, so you are not forced to learn some proprietary, dead-end, or limited scripting language. Spin takes care of all the tedious aspects of Java programming so you have all the power of a full programming language, but with the ease-of-use of a scripting language.
Spin's open architecture allows new capabilities and behaviors to be added transparently. You do not have to wait months, years, or even forever for a new capability to be supported, you can add it yourself, or have it added by a third party. Spin is an open solution that will not box you in.
Tame Complexity
Spin has unique features that help you build large and complex projects. No longer are large projects "brittle" — hard to modify without breaking them. No longer are you limited to toy applications. Even nonprogrammers can build applications they never dreamed possible. Spin also allows more than one person to work on the same project at the same time.Test and Debug
Spin has extensive integrated debugging features, so you can get your project working faster, fix bugs instantly, and have confidence that your deployed project is reliable:- Spin blows away the barrier between authoring and testing. All components are always completely operational, so you can experiment while you build and find bugs immediately. There is no separate edit and run mode.
- Spin helps you visualize and debug complex flow-of-control — instantly!
- Spin catches both authoring and run-time errors, and takes you directly to the element that caused the error.
- Amazing for a visual authoring tool, Spin lets you single step through a server-side program so you can see immediately what is going on. You can also set breakpoints and examine program data — while your project is running.
- Spin includes an integrated web application server so you can debug server-side projects with ease. This is another first.
- Spin comes bundled with a development version of the PointBase object-relational database, so you can create and test database-enabled applications right out of the box.
