Summary

This chapter has taken a quick look at what it means to deliver the same content to an HTML browser as well as a WAP browser. The key message is that while HTML can be delivered to a phone through a translator, taking the time to write a WML interface into an application is well worth the effort in terms of both usability and functionality. Although WML and HTML are on the road to convergence with the forthcoming XHTML specification from the W3C, it will still be some time before the specifications become reality. In preparing yourself for that time, and even in preparing yourself to build a scalable Web application, content and data should be abstracted from the presentation of that content. The simplest and most effective way to do this is to store your data in a database.

Any programming language can be used to provide access to the same content base to any client. The key is sticking with what you know and what you are familiar with. It looks as though XML/XSL will play a huge role in content delivery to a wide variety of clients in the future. Abstracting your presentation from your content now will get you a long way toward the future.