Will Imatch Anywhere replace Imatch?

[ubacher]

I have not payed much attention to Imatch Anywhere since I don't need the functionality. (Nor do I need/wnat additional complexity.)

With the recent discussion about the future of scripting I got the impression that IMAW will replace Imatch as we know it.
Is that correct?

(Previously I thought IMAW was an add-on one could use.)

[Mario]

No. At least not in the near future.

IMatch is keeping up with technology changes.

+ Users want access to their DAM not only while sitting in front of their PC, but also when they use a tablet or smart phone.
+ Users want to access their DAM from Windows, Apple or Linux devices. Or maybe run a slide show on their Smart TV.
+ Users want access to their DAM remotely, even over the Internet.
+ Corporate users don't want to deploy (install) software on every computer. They want a central installation and management.
+ Users want a simplified interface for IMatch so family, friends and clients can access IMatch without knowing a thing about DAM

IMatch Anywhere does all that.

The key component of IMatch Anywhere is IMatch WebServices. This is basically a programming interface for IMatch databases. It is based on current web technologies and makes IMatch databases accessible for all programming languages which support web services: JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, C#, ...

Integrating IMatch WebServices is one of the key features in IMatch 6.
Having this technology accessible from within IMatch allows me to replace the ancient and expensive Basic scripting engine with something more powerful, flexible and current - JavaScript & HTML 5.

It will also make it a lot easier to integrate web services like Google, Bing or OpenStreet Map (have a look at how much better the Map View in IMatch Anywhere WebViewer is). And, even more important, it allows me to integrate web services provided by me and others. From face detection and recognition to image analysis with automatic keyword suggestion based on image content - all that's based on modern web technologies will be accessible thanks to IMWS in IMatch.

"Show me all images containing a boat" or "Show me all images of Lisa" or "Show me all files with a sunset" are questions modern image analysis software can answer. But these systems all run in the cloud because they need massive resources. I want to allow IMatch users access to these technologies (if they want).

I want to improve the Map panel. And I will do that based on IMWS. This way it will work in IMatch 6 and in IMatch WebViewer.

Finally, users become more and more platform agnostic. This means they want to use software, not install or maintain it. And they don't care which operating system the device runs: "Windows? iOS? Android? Linux? Heck, all I want to do is use this software!".

IMatch Anywhere Web Viewer already makes this possible. Users don't need to care on which computer IMatch / IMWS runs. Or if this computer is sitting in your basement or 1000 miles away. Or if they use IMatch WebViewer on a Windows PC, a Mac or from an Android tablet. It just works.

You can now rent powerful Windows computers for 5-10 US$ per month. These machines run in a cloud (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, ...) and you pay only for what you use. You can work with these machines like with a physical computer. But they never break, have automatic 100% backups, if you need more computing power or RAM or disk space you just dial it in. The operating system is always up-to-date. And when you use it one for one week per month, you only pay for that week. Some even charge by the hour.

That's called Saas - Software as a Service.

IMatch WebServices is one step in that direction.
You can install it on a physical PC in your home. You can install it in a physical computer in your data center. Or you install it in a virtual Windows PC in a cloud, for a few $ per month. And then you can access your DAM from any device, any operating system and device.

And, when you have written a script that works with IMatch WebServices, it will also run on any device and operating system. Whether the IMWS accessing is running on your local PC or on a server 1000 miles away. Upload files into IMatch while you're on vacation? Browse files on your tablet while you're visiting your family? Showing files to clients and friends remotely?

[ubacher]

No. At least not in the near future.

I interpret that as meaning that Imatch will continue to exist and IMAW is an available optional interface?

Regarding the new scripting: in another post you said:

You can already start programming now, using IMatch WebServices to access your database contents.

which gives the impression that the scripting is for the web interface only. Will we be using the new scripting on Imatch
even if we do not use the web interface?

[Mario]

I interpret that as meaning that Imatch will continue to exist

Yes. For the foreseeable future.

and IMAW is an available optional interface?

Not quite. IMatch Anywhere will evolve to independent product. I will add features to update the database, to index files, to create databases etc. to IMatch WebServices. This will be needed for the internal scripting in IMatch for Windows, and of course also benefits all users of IMatch Anywhere. If you can update metadata or upload/index files into the IMatch DAM right from your device (may be a tablet or even your camera!) you may have no need anymore for IMatch for Windows.

For users who work mostly on a PC, IMatch for Windows will remain the first choice.
For corporate and institutional users or users who prefer a multi-device approach, IMatch Anywhere may be a better fit.

Both IMWS and IMatch for Windows internally use the IMatch engine so they will be compatible.

which gives the impression that the scripting is for the web interface only.

No. As I said, I will integrate IMWS technology into IMatch for Windows. IMatch will run scripts in the successor of the App Panels. The scripts can use the same programming interface apps use to access IMatch WebServices - like the IMatch WebViewer. In addition, these scripts will have access to some features which make only sense for scripts running inside IMatch, like the file window or certain user interface elements.

We will have one programming interface for both IMatch and IMatch WebServices.
IMWS will make IMatch for Windows even better.

[ubacher]

Thank you. This clears it up. Removed my worries. "Bin beruhigt"