The Speed ​​of CSLA Vs Open Source Alternatives

CSLA.NET, which stands for Component-Based Scalable Logical Architecture, is a software development framework designed to manage the cost of building and maintaining applications. By focusing on object-based design, CSLA gives all of your built business objects full functionality with all .NET platforms. CSLA is widely preferred due to its versatility and detailed documentation. The great barriers to the successful implementation of CSLA lie in the challenging learning curve and its complexity; These factors lead some to consider other options.

Businesses gravitate toward CSLA because of its ease of use with other critical programs and platforms. The latest version of CSLA.NET, version 4.3, works with Microsoft .NET 4.0, Visual Studio 2010, and Silverlight 5. As the demand for robust mobile applications increases, CSLA 4.3 also supports mobile devices including Linux, Android and Mac OS X.

Utility aside, some critics argue that CSLA’s learning curve makes it unsuitable for some business needs. In theory, small businesses don’t have the time and budget to learn the program or hire experts. The only CSLA documentation comes in the form of books by creator Rockford Lhotka, and while they’re not prohibitively expensive, some may balk at the proposition of learning a software development framework from a book. The alternative would be to seek a mentor in a classroom setting, but the cost (and perhaps more significantly, the time) involved could be a barrier to entry. Even with training, companies will need at least one person with expert knowledge of things like serialization, generics, and programming using abstract classes. Although no software development framework is “easy” to learn, other open source alternatives may provide a simpler solution. Likewise, belief in CSLA “feature inflation” generally comes from those with a specific need as opposed to CSLA’s broad applications. For a start-up company with a small project, CSLA’s powerful capabilities could become unnecessary complications.

Other users cite their frustration with CSLA’s reliance on reflection on the interface method implementation. CSLA’s DataPortal uses reflection to identify the behavior of saving and retrieving data from an object, which can cause problems when debugging code. Specifically, reflection will negate the compile time during DataPortal runtime, increasing the threat of deploying buggy code. Also, critics of reflection claim that it is slow, especially when compared to running static code.

Lhotka developed the primary version of CSLA.NET in 1998, and its long history of refinement has given it the status of “alpha and omega” of open source software development frameworks today. For some, its general capabilities will require too complex knowledge for efficient use due to budget and time constraints. Those without the experience or finances to take full advantage of CSLA.NET offerings should consider an open source alternative with a more limited focus. However, for companies that have the means to take full advantage of it, it remains one of the best options on the market for open source .NET development frameworks.