Written back in the heady days of 2010, this white paper has had many readers since. I've uploaded it to SlideShare to give it a potentially wider audience. From the introduction: This white paper outlines an alternative way to think about development for Microsoft SharePoint. In some ways, what’s described is counter to the conventional wisdom, so if it doesn’t get some people’s hackles up, then it’s not written right. The premise is that the most common development approach -- using managed code which is developed in Visual Studio -- is more costly, time-consuming, and error prone than the approach using the Middle Tier which is described here. That’s not saying that managed code is unnecessary; it’s saying that much of the time it is overkill and that solutions can be developed, deployed, and managed more quickly and safely than with managed code. For those of you who find that the estimates from your .NET providers (internal or external) for implementing a solution are prohibitively high, there’s another option: the Middle Tier.

1. The Middle Tier Manifesto:
An Alternative Approach to Development
with Microsoft SharePoint

2. Introduction
What Is the Middle Tier?
First Tier: The SharePoint UI and Central Administration
Middle Tier: SharePoint Designer
Third Tier: Visual Studio

3. What Is Development?
Historical Context
Dictionary.com, "development," in The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. Source location:
Denis Howe. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/development. Available:
http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: April 11, 2010.

4. What Makes the Middle Tier Approach Different?
Data View Web Parts (DVWPs)
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5. Scripting
CSS
SharePoint Designer-based Workflows

6. Benefits to the Middle Tier Approach
Common Web Development Skills
Lower Cost Tools
Faster Development Lifecycles
Reduced Testing Cycles
Adaptability in Corporate Environments

7. Stable Servers
Backups Capture Full Solutions
Drawbacks to the Middle Tier Approach
SharePoint Designer
Deployment

8. Repeatability
Performance
Middle Tier Best Practices
Modular Code
Reusable Code Objects

9. CSS
Script Libraries
Images
Decision Criteria
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10. Conclusion