Re:Ask HN: What are some good no code / low code tools to le...
by codingdave on Thursday January 09, 2020 @09:10AM
(#22001274)
It is not so much about the tool helping a future dev re-invent the solution in a high-code platform. It is more about preventing lock-in. I'd like to see a vendor whose business model embraces the fact that their most successful apps will move to something more powerful. Where they consider themselves to be a stepladder up to a fully developed app, and not a platform that will take over all of enterprise IT. So they would be more of an internal app incubator, not a permanent app hosting platform, focusing on service to their customers, and therefore when it comes time to move on they are a fully engaged partner, not an adversary.
At the same time, it would be terrific to help the devs on low-code platforms avoid mistakes. Flag redundant data, point out when they have written sub-optimal workflows, give them easy ways to implement re-usable code blocks when the system notices they just wrote the same function twice with one parameter change. Data imports are also always a struggle, because most anyone can figure out how to get a CSV or Excel file brought into a system, but reading from a web-based endpoint, or parsing data from Word files tends to be beyond the capacity of most users, even if the system itself supports it.
At the same time, it would be terrific to help the devs on low-code platforms avoid mistakes. Flag redundant data, point out when they have written sub-optimal workflows, give them easy ways to implement re-usable code blocks when the system notices they just wrote the same function twice with one parameter change. Data imports are also always a struggle, because most anyone can figure out how to get a CSV or Excel file brought into a system, but reading from a web-based endpoint, or parsing data from Word files tends to be beyond the capacity of most users, even if the system itself supports it.