Our decision was driven by the realization that today's users expect desktop-like experience from web sites and applications they access through their browser. Hence, users are not willing to install and use a dedicated desktop client, which may provide a marginally better experience for a specific use case but is often limited in functionality compared to the complete web application. This was indicated by the decreasing download rates of Sitefinity Desktop Application since its first release in 2013.
Another trend impacting our decision are users’ readiness to go beyond the desktop for simple and quick content management tasks such as approvals and fixing typos. Increasingly, users opt for utilizing handheld devices, which are always available and quick to turn on. Even in the workplace, “mobile” is quickly becoming “the new desktop.”
These tendencies diminish the value of a desktop client for Sitefinity CMS and we decided that it is in the best interest of our customers if we discontinue efforts in this area. Instead, we are focused on revamping the user experience and capabilities of the Sitefinity administrative interface, which will offer desktop-like performance and utilize the latest web technologies such as Feather (ASP.NET MVC and UI framework) and the Web Services (OData) API.
Expect to hear more on that soon!
Kalina Maneva
Kalina Maneva is a Product Manager at Sitefinity. She is focused on making Sitefinity CMS the most usable and empowering platform for Content Marketers.