High-level authoring systems allow developers to implement sophisticated software products quickly. Such systems have many advantages, therefore, in projects where there is a premium on productivity.
Response times tend to be longer and bugs more difficult to detect.
Nevertheless, an authoring system approach is likely to be the most sensible development strategy at the present time, high risk though it might be in some respects. Choose your authoring system carefully and include considerations of market viability in your calculations. One of the advantages of working with a commercially sound, market leading product is that as new technologies emerge, appropriate drivers etc very quickly become freely available to developers, thereby saving a good deal of project development effort. It is important, therefore, when setting up a project team, to consider the merits of adding low level programming skills to the team even though much of the development will be at a higher level. The presence of inhouse skills of this kind can be extremely cost-effective.