Microsoft® .NET: Architecting Applications for the Enterprise

Chapter 7. The Presentation Layer

And the users exclaimed with a laugh and a taunt: “Cool! It’s just what we asked for, but not what we want now.”

—Anonymous

No applications would be usable without a user interface. No matter what kind of smart code you lovingly crafted in the middle tier, it couldn’t be consumed by any users if it didn’t have a way to present it to the users.

Many architects, however, tend to consider presentation as the less noble part of the system—almost a detail to tackle after the business and data access layers have been fully and successfully completed. The truth is that the user interface (UI), business logic, and data access code are equally necessary in a system of any complexity. Your attitude, your preferences, ...