Alpha Software has been in the business of supporting software development since the 1980s. I covered them before on this blog (see: Alpha Software Provides Tools to Create Comprehensive Online Databases). Recently caught up again with Richard Rabins, their CEO, on the latest release. Richard said that since the Web has matured and Web 2.0 has raised expectations for the performance of Web apps, many more firms are switching their client server applications to AJAX based Web apps. However, this is not usually an easy task as to providing rich applications with performance that users have come to expect requires a lot of expertise. It requires AJAX expertise  and knowledge of Javascript, Server side scripting, CSS, the DOM, XML, various browsers and other factors.

Alpha Five v10 is designed to reduce the effort and development times for these rich applications by offering what they call, CodeLess Ajax.™ Richard walked me through some examples of building AJAX apps by simple drag and drop methods. This seemed accessible for a non-coder such as myself.  You specify the design, components, and other factors of the application and Alpha generates the code behind the scenes.

There is also the option to do add  JavaScript coding for advanced components and Alpha provides ties to a number of third party  JavaScript libraries.  You can also use Xbasic,  REST Servicesor SQL languages, Genies and Xdialogs, the Report Builder, the Security Framework, and other tools for extensions. In addition to Codeless Ajax™ technology, Alpha Five Version 10 has nearly 80 other new features, all of which are designed to help programmers build high-performance apps. Videos are available here

Richard showed me a sample application for an insurance company that was built with Alpha Five.  You can get a quote for your home owner’s policy in seconds. I know from work in this space and personal experience that that is not an easy task as their quite a few issues to underwrite such policies. It usually takes several weeks so this firm is getting a significant competitive edge.

Another application dealt with patient notification when doctors were running late. It drew data from multiple sources and acted as a mashup in this sense. Just as mashups have helped speed the development of Web apps, a code generation tools such as Alpha Five hold’s great promise to help companies transition to today’s Web environment.

I asked about their market strategy and Richard said they initially started simply selling the tool. They found that many companies wanted Alpha to use the capabilities of Alpha Five to build apps for less cost and time rather than using the tool themselves. I experienced similar issue with CBT tools in the 80s. Richard said they do some of this custom development internally to continue to refine the tool through their first hand experience. They have also created a group of trusted third party developers to help with the task.

The company is privately held, and based in the Boston area at Burlington, Mass. Their Alpha Software blog offers more on what they are doing.