Remoting

During this project I’ve learned that it is important to try and limit the number of calls back to the server.  I understand it is important to make sure any progress is saved, but it is even more important that the system not constantly rely on asynchronous calls to make future progress. While small calls might not bring down the system, it is important, in my experience, that the fewer calls made to the back-end, the better.

This rant is brought to you by the remoting services of Flex, Fluorine, and WebOrb.  All three have their benefits, which are documented on their respective sites.  However there doesn’t seem to be a list of best practices for using them.  It is true that a RIA should be Rich, connect to the Internet, and be an Application.  But that connection to the Internet shouldn’t happen every turn of the page or every mouse click. In my experience, you can achieve a better user experience if a whole bunch of miniscule calls can be tracked by the app, then uploaded when truly required.  Interaction with the backend is important, don’t get me wrong, Flex can only do so much. Yet the code shouldn’t beat a dead horse, like this blog post, with too many of the same calls.