13.18. Considerations

Take the following into account before choosing ASP.NET MVC:

• ASP.NET MVC is a radically different approach to web development, so do not underestimate the time it will take developers to adapt to it. Additionally, developers will need familiarity and be able to understand some more advanced concepts such as loosely coupled applications and IOC.

• ASP.NET MVC is a framework to build upon; it will probably not contain all the functionality you require.

• ASP.NET MVC is unsuitable if your existing code makes extensive use of ViewState.

• ASP.NET can make creating custom controls much harder.

• Many third-party ASP.NET controls will not be compatible with ASP.NET MVC (note that some vendors have released ASP.NET MVC control suites already).

• ASP.NET MVC can increase application development time.

• Developers coming from a WinForms background might find ASP.NET easier due to similarities in event models.

• Some developers think that ASP.NET MVC is going back to the days of ASP classic and do not like the "tag soup" that pages can become.

• ASP.NET MVC is still in its infancy, and other, more mature alternatives exist. Perhaps the most popular on the .NET platform is MonoRail (www.castleproject.org/monorail/ (note the similarities between ASP.NET MVC and MonoRail). Another rising star is OpenRasta (www.openrasta.com), which is "an MVC framework with a focus on REST."

• People get really religious about ASP.NET vs. MVC approaches!