How MoNo-MeLi could rule the world

My recent blog posts, “Does LAMP need a successor?” and “Introducing MoNo-MeLi – the heir to LAMP’s thone” generated quite a bit of conversation on LinkedIn. Off the back of these comments, I’ve managed to develop the MoNo-MeLi plan further.

So, the key quality criteria for using a platform to perform a certain task are:

1. Ease of getting started
2. Availability of hosting, tools, etc
3. Complexity of purchase/acquisition
4. Quantity of people familiar with technology elements
5. Production efficiency
6. Operational efficiency

Criteria 1-4 relate mostly to the platform itself, and here LAMP scores highly:

• Linux in its purest form is not that easy for most people to get started with. However, if you have Linux as part of a SAAS package, the complexities are masked. People are not using windows, because it is not free, and it can be complicated to purchase
• Apache is easy to get started with, but there are other good web servers around.
• for MySQL, lots of people know a bit of SQL, and purchasing is simple (providing Oracle don’t disrupt things too much)
• PHP¸ while many people might regard it as primitive compared to, say, Ruby on Rails, is well known, and easy to get started.

For criteria 5 and 6, it depends more on the task being undertaken. In my view there are 3 different types of web content:

1. STATIC which can be served by a simple CMS system, or straight HTML

With static, generally people are not using LAMP directly, though it may well be included in their SAAS package (such as WordPress). LAMP scores highly on production and operational efficiency, especially with modern WYSIWYG editors (which may make one believe that there is a real-time element).

2. MODAL/TRANSACTIONAL which will adapt, given circumstances, and allow forms to be filled in, and can be served by PHP, Ruby, etc.

It is in modal content that LAMP starts to show signs of strain.

3. REAL-TIME, such as chat systems, Google Drive, etc, which is harder to serve with these platforms.

This is what got me started looking for LAMP’s successor. Linux is ok, but Apache is far too hungry. MySQL, while good on the transactional and reporting elements, yields to Mongo’s superior real-time skills. And for PHP, currently it’s plain old hard work at the moment to make it real-time.

How could MoNo-MeLi rule the world?

What would it take to get MoNo-MeLi in line to inherit from LAMP?

1. Get some tools that use this platform into wide-spread use, e.g. CMS, shopping system, social system, simple transactional frameworks.
2. Make it incredibly simple for people to get started, so they will prefer it even for tasks that would traditionally use LAMP.
3. Find some compelling real-time elements that can add value to existing ideas.
4. Make the transition gradual. This way people can adopt MoNo-MeLi easily without the pressure of a sudden move.
5. And the alpha and omega – apps will make or break MoNo-MeLi!

This thought process was driven by the responses I received to my previous articles, soif you have any more comments for me about this post, I can’t wait to hear them!