In this chapter we want to provide readers with an introduction to the problems of developing software applications for Internet environments. We'll begin by discussing the new e-business climate and describing the new requirements imposed by it. One special requirement, that of highly scalable applications, will be examined in more detail to determine the requirements it places on the company and its applications. Another is component-based development, which we'll consider briefly in this chapter and in more detail in the next chapter. Finally, we'll wrap up with an overview of some of the generic types of e-business applications being developed today.

The Challenges of the E-Business Environment

In order to compete in the global marketplace, businesses today must build a new generation of applications. Many of the requirements for e-business systems were not part of past application design. Enhanced user expectations and increased competitive pressures must be accommodated, along with changes in technology and a new business climate.

The Web is responsible for the biggest changes in business systems since the introduction of the computer itself, including new usage patterns, new user expectations, increased competition, and shortened product life cycles. The previous chapters provided several examples of these forces at work.

In this chapter's discussion of these factors, we sometimes use Web-based customers as an example to help clarify the points being made, even though some studies predict that interactive Web users will account for only about 30% of e-business activity. The larger portion of e-business may come from electronic...