I have read a few blog entries recently (1, 2) about how the design of ASP.NET is questioned because it is designed to make web application development work like developing windows applications. As a result, some people are saying that web apps would be better designed if we threw all of this form development away and did development through http handlers and such. This may be true for some types of applications.  However for the vast majority of applications, this adds a layer of complexity that 90+% of applications do not need.  Now, I am not trying to apply the Peter Principle to development.  I believe that the right tool should be used for the right job.  However, for 90+% of applications, ASP.NET Webforms is the right tool for the job.

My problem with these items is that it makes the life of newcomers hard.  Most newcomers are just trying to learn the basics.  They need the basics.  When presented with these conflicting ideas, newcomers do not know what to do.  They can become confused and pull some features from one side and another set of features from a different solution.  Typically, newcomers will chose the wrong pieces to work from.  I have seen this at two of my customers.  Sometimes, I have been able to unwind the problems.  Other times, I have not.  Right now, I am currently building a new version of an application for a client because a previous developer had decided to bypass ASP/ASP.NET and build everything themselves using COM+.  For this customer, they have limped along for 3-4 years with this application failing several times per week.  It cost the customer several hundred thousands of dollars.  This a disgrace that this happened. 

I think I have talked about this in the past.  It is unfortunate that some folks want don't want to learn lessons from history.

http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2003/09/30/looking-cool-may-make-you-look-stupid.aspx

http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2003/09/30/use-standards-do-not-recreate-the-wheel.aspx

http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2003/09/30/you-are-not-smarter-than-microsoft.aspx

http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2003/09/30/do-upfront-analysis-of-what-the-application-needs.aspx

http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2003/09/30/how-long-have-i-been-doing-this.aspx