SD Times Article by Jason English
Will enterprise developers go loco for low-code, or will the whole concept someday become a no-go?
Until recently, analysts would lump low-code in with no-code and a host of tools offering some form of drag-and-drop ease that enables ‘citizen developers’ (meaning: non-developers) the means to deliver apps. But where should you start in thinking about your own enterprise’s journey to low-code?
Looking at the rate of investment and vendor acquisition in the low-code solution space, it seems like this arena has never been hotter. But in another sense, it’s always been with us.
Ever since the first desktop applications appeared, software companies have sought a way to endow professionals who didn’t have the time or inclination to learn C with the ability to build and design functionality.
Before RAD and 4GLs appeared on the scene, there was Visio and some VB tools on Windows, and Hypercard on the Mac. Even Excel started a revolution among skilled spreadsheet wizards armed with a few macros. These early forms of low-code were pretty localized in orientation, predating the explosion of content yet to come via internet services.
Low code is on a continuum
According to my colleague Jason Bloomberg, low code is on a continuum between no code (tools requiring no coding at all) and pro code (tools that ease developers in reusing code or leveraging development skills).
There are parallels between the low-code spectrum of ‘assisted development’ solutions and the closely related business process automation and testing spaces, which share several commonalities, including a business user-centric or ‘no-code’ point-and-click simplicity on one end, and an engineering-centric ‘pro-code’ side.
In fact, we have seen several assisted development players arise from testing or automation tools that found their stride in low-code.
