Software Development solutions from N-Go

Software development is a vast and complex subject.

Everything we do on computers, from the Windows application itself, through to our e-mail client or browser, is a software application that has been developed specifically for that task.

With many complex applications, such as an operating system, there are normally, often thousands, of smaller applications that combine to provide a single piece of what we know as software.

Changes in the world of software development

With the growth and flexibility of the internet, many software applications are being written for or rely significantly on networks and the internet.

Many software applications now run as browser based applications that are fast, portable and scaleable.

Where traditionally some applications were unable to function as web based software, the advancement in the technology used in web browsers and the introduction of languages such as Java and .NET mean it is now possible to interact with the PC and server more significantly, enabling a greater flexibility for software developers.

Choosing a desktop, server or browser based application

The choice of a server or client application is normally a simple decision, based on what the application will be required do but there are no real limitations for either location.

Choosing a system or browser based application will again be a straightforward decision based on requirements for usability, access and security.

There are really no fixed rules with software development. Each software project will be delivered in the most appropriate way for that specific requirement.

Getting something developed

It is more than likely that there will be a software product that does most of what you need a piece of software to do.

Often, this will be software that is available through an open source license, so it is normally a good option as a donor application (something that is almost perfect but needs some specific enhancements) or as a manageable solution.

In our opinion, bespoke development is the last option for SME's to get what they need.

Bespoke development can be lengthy, time consuming, costly and have a greater cost of ownership when compared with community or commercial pre-developed applications.

There is also the problem with re-inventing the wheel...

OPen source solutions offer a stable and maintained base platform that can cut development time and cost dramatically.

Our strategy for defining and developing software

When we develop software, whether for ourselves or others, we have a cascading approach to defining our development life cycle.

We will create a specification that will tell us what the software needs to do.

We will try to find an appropriate and cost effective commercial or open source solution that will do everything.

Failing that, we will look to find something that is very close to what we need and plan to change it according to our specification.

If we can't find an appropriate starting point or something that we can utilise, we will look for smaller snippets, applications or libraries that will do smaller jobs within our requirements specification and look to link these together to build our solution.

Getting your own software solution

If you need to get some software written or are struggling along, having thought that your own bespoke software solution was cost prohibitive, why not contact us and we will see what we can do to help you work faster wih your own dedicated application.