[narag]

The late 90s when CASE tools and visual IDEs like Delphi were all the rage?). There is no silver bullet.

You seem to imply that Delphi was a fad that fell short of what it promised. On the contrary, it was incredibly productive. The reasons it has become a niche product have nothing to do with the validity of its features.

So if you are wondering why IS hasn't some product to show, it's not because the ideas are wrong, it's because tools are a very difficult area where execution is more important and readiness is all.

[tyingq]

I suspect RAD/4GL will come back into fashion once someone gets a web version of it right. The current crop of tools aren't quite there, as they don't let you work outside the hard rails.

Google's "app maker" looks pretty close, but with issues around per user cost for some use cases. It does support freeform code, both client and server side, so no hard rails https://developers.google.com/appmaker/

[narag]

The question about programming tools is fascinating. There isn't a minimal consensus about its evolution.

My two cents is it's more about usability than anything else.

[theparanoid]

CSS Flexbox could bring RAD back to the web. Flexbox is a breath of fresh air after dealing with standard CSS layout 'tricks'.