I did pretty exhaustive research looking for a tool that I could use to get a web based application up and running as quickly as possible. Beyond the ability to constuct the application I also focused on serviceability and life cycle management. I have no significant experience with any web technologies, including HTML.
I can name a few of the tools I found but they are so inferior to Aware IM that I see no reason for you to look at them. I'd say it competes squarely with Visual Studio, Cold Fusion, and possibly PHP, though it is far more sophisticated in it's approach to development.
Naturally, your choice depends on many factors, especially the purpose of your product. In my opinion, Aware IM is designed for and perfectly suited to developing business applications of all types. That's what it's for. So if that's what you need, I encourage a long and critical look - I believe you will be impressed.
Development is a different paradigm than you may be used to. Don't think database - think business process. Aware IM puts the database into an abstract that you don't have to think about as much as you might otherwise have to. In my opinion, this is good and makes the developer more productive.
I used my 30 day trial to develop as much of my application as I could and by the end of my trial I was well down the path. Purchasing the license was a no-brainer.
You might want to look at other tools if you really, really need some specific capability found in the .net environment or elsewhere, but my best suggestion is to give Aware IM a thorough test drive and post a lot of questions here as you go. The forum and the AwareIM support team are first rate.
Good luck.
