Q:

Sharepoint 2010 web application development suitability evaluation/assessment

I would like to know what kind of applications are suitable to be developed on top of Sharepoint 2010 and which should not be built on to of it. So when to embrace/avoid Sharepoint 2010 as a development platform for new web applications.
Addendum
Would you as a sharepoint development specialist choose it as a platform for your next enterprise application with these characteristics:

processor intensive
lots of various screens for entering and managing data
many complex business processes
no need to change the UI (ie. reposition parts)
ERP integration
etc.

I'm an Asp.net MVC (former web forms) developer and would like to know if usual multi-page semi complex web applications (intra/extra-net) should be built on top of Sharepoint 2010 and why (if yes or if no).

A:

I will preface this by saying that sharepoint is a usability, development and performance nightmare.  I've met few users who enjoy it, the dev approach to create robust solutions is like juggling bowling pins while log-rolling and there is so much extra bloat in the framework that building a high-performance solution in it is almost impossible.
Despite this, it's very good for building intranet solutions like dashboards that tap into line of business systems.  You can do quite a bit in it without ever having to write actual code, so team rooms and basic data collection activities are a good fit.
What I wouldn't build on it is a public-facing company website that is either static or provides a service.

