GUI - the Origin of Today's Programming Environment

Since the emergence of punch programming in 1804, programming languages have existed for more than 200 years. Since the 1950s, new programming languages have been emerging, and now there are more than 250. This means that what developers need to get used to the most is constant change.

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A recent change in the programming world is the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) - a software application that generally includes code editors, compilers, debuggers, and graphical user interfaces. It provides professional developers and programming enthusiasts with a kit to simplify coding.

Forward to 2019, and the situation has changed again. Programmers have written enough code that doesn't make sense to start every application from scratch. When a robust low-code development platform contains visual code blocks and 90% of the functionality required by most applications, most of the heavy work can be done with this low-code platform.

What is Low-Code? How to Use Low-Code?

In short, low-code development is a way for developers to design applications quickly and with minimal manual coding. Low-code can be a noun because it is the same "thing" as Python or c #. Low-code can also be a verb to express a literal method of developing an application because less handwritten code is used than normal conditions when developing an application.

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The low-code platform is similar to IDE in that it contains a set of features that complement the way developers work and the tools they need. However, it is not just a traditional IDE. In short, low-code is the process of dragging and dropping visualization modules of existing code into a workflow to create an application. Because it can completely replace the traditional method of writing the entire application by hand, skilled developers can work smarter and faster without being bound by repetitive coding.

Another option is to write and debug thousands of complex code and syntax lines. By avoiding this and building applications through visualization, you can develop applications at least ten times faster and give full play to the advantages of skilled developers.

This is the main reason why Forrester expects spending in the low-code market to reach $21 billion by 2022.

The Value of Low-Code

• Faster speed: with low-code, you can build applications for multiple platforms simultaneously and show working examples to stakeholders in days or even hours.
• More resources: if you are working on a big project with low-code, you don't have to wait for skilled developers to complete another lengthy project, which means work can be done faster and at a lower cost.
• Low Risk/High ROI(Return on Investment): Low-code, robust security processes, data integration, and cross-platform support are built and can be easily customized—meaning less risk and more time to focus on the business.
• Rapid deployment: release day can be a stressful experience. A pre-deployment impact assessment can ensure that the application works as expected with low-code. If there is any unexpected behavior, you can roll back the changes by clicking.

What is No-Code?

At first glance, it's easy to confuse low-code and no-code, and they all sound the same. No-code solutions are built for people who don't know and don't need to know any programming language. No code vendors have built everything users need to build applications into their products. The no-code solution is similar to popular blogging platforms or web design companies, which has pre-built pages that users can use to create their blogs or business in a few minutes.

That sounds good. Of course, if you don't mind releasing applications that don't have unique features and are difficult to customize, and if you don't need to address the challenges of digital modernization, you can. In addition, most no-code platforms have initially been designed to solve a single business problem, such as business process management.

Skills Required to Use Low-Code and No-Code

Hundreds of small details and features distinguish a powerful low-code platform from a limited no-code solution. Most of them are not clear at the UI level, and that's where a lot of the confusion between the two comes in. However, strictly limiting our discussion to the act of application development, certain types of users and what they need to develop may drive their preference for low-code and no-code.

No-code solutions are only suitable for specific business users or citizen developers. They don't need much professional training. But due to the limited skill set of the typical user, the functionality of the no-code platform is also limited. For example, the self-defined workflow of the domestic software ZDOO supports managers who do not understand technology to create the required business process with zero-code visual editing. And most professional developers find that no-code solutions lack the functions they need, and no-code tools tend to limit their ability to work.

Low-code is designed to serve business users and professional developers. For business users, creating practical and well-thought-out applications under the guidance of experienced IT can help expand the capabilities and bandwidth of the IT team but also facilitate control and governance. For professional developers, using visualization-based modeling tools can work faster and more efficiently, allowing them to write code manually as needed, which means that the permanent backlog of required applications is reduced. At the same time, their business value is growing. 

The attraction of no-code is that almost everyone in an organization with a technical background can quickly create business applications. This may be an enormous advantage, but it also brings many problems. First, the idea that no-code application development does not require coding is not always a reality. Because these platforms are designed for non-professional developers, IT departments must intervene in the final stage to complete integration with existing systems. At this point, "no-code" can be prone to become a "need for abundant code urgently." 

So, can it be concluded that low-code is better than no-code? And be not so. Both low-code and no-code are built with agility in mind. Although the two may seem the same, the two serve different purposes. Low-code facilitates the development of complex applications that run important and often mission-critical processes at the core of the business. It is also suitable for building stand-alone mobile and web applications that may or may not require complex integration. It can be used for almost anything. Conversely, the no-code limitation means it should only be used for front-end use cases. That being said, in modern enterprises, there is room for both or at least both. For teams adopting DevOps, the combination of low-code and no-code can provide a perfect application development environment.