Why Fayde?

For many years, software developers have been frustrated with platform choices for building applications. One of the most fundamental choices has been "Should I build a web application or a desktop application?".

"If I choose to build a web application, then I can easily deploy everywhere. However, the language, tools, productivity, and overall developer experience is poor. In addition, HTML was created for building documents and not a platform for building applications. As a result, the interface design will suffer because HTML just can't do what it should."

"If I choose to build a desktop application, I can use the languages and tools that will make me productive and capable of delivering a great application. The problem with a desktop application is that it can be difficult to deploy and in most cases I have to build many versions in order to reach my audience."

For many, including the developers at Fayde, things started to change when Microsoft released Silverlight and WPF. Silverlight provided developers with much better languages and tools to deliver first class applications over the web.

Unlike HTML and CSS, the layout and styling was very precise and predictable and gave the developer great control over the user interface.

It was designed in an extensible manner which allowed the developer great flexibility to extend the platform with their own controls.

User interface designers could quickly prototype and build Silverlight user interfaces using Expression Blend without the need of a developer.

The developers could build and easily test the business logic of an application isolated from the user interface.

Interface designers and developers could leverage the inherent software contract between the interface and the business logic created by Bindings and Commands.

Software development had become much more focused on the business ideas and less on technical limitations...

And then came the death of browser plugins. As Silverlight and Flash/Flex phased out, many developers went back to using server-side rendering technologies such as ASP.NET or Rails. Others have attempted to create client-side frameworks (Angular, Ember, Knockout) with a lot of the same concepts that made Silverlight so popular. However, the problem with all of these approaches is that they are all bound by the limitations and frustrations of HTML and CSS. Unfortunately, the problems with HTML aren't going to be solved anytime soon. As long as the browser wars persist, innovation is restricted and the W3C will continue to require years to release a single specification.

Fayde is a software platform that restores productivity and control to the developer. Initially developed as a port of Silverlight, Fayde is looking to both restore and expand upon what Silverlight provided. As a completely open-source platform, the Fayde team is anxious to see what an extensible platform plus the power of the open-source community can create.