One of the more interesting evolutions in computing is that of Web based applications (or webapps). With Google and Zoho putting out some very complex and quite powerful word processors and spreadsheets, there will be some future in it.
However, it isn’t there yet, my experience has been mixed. I don’t think it’s time to cast the chains of the locally installed software quite yet, I think it will be soon. The reason is Google Gears.
It is an extension to the Firefox web browser that allows webapps to run locally. The only example I have seen available is with Google Reader. The excellent web based RSS Reader will now be able to remember the last 2000 feed items, thereby making it portable. One can use it on the plane without internet connection.
Thats small cookies compared to the possibilities. Being able to run Google Docs locally would stop the Ajax lag that sometimes stifles using the free online word processor (at least that has been my experience). Suddenly MS Word is just wasted hard drive space (and a waste of money).
The possibilities continue: as the Gears platform is open for development by third parties. I think this is a subtle revolution in computing, like the advent of AJAX webapps, we should soon see the inventiveness of the new internet coming offline.
I understand where you are coming from, and you do have a good point. Yet we need to look at what comes after the deployment of this “revolutionary” utility.
A lot of web applications are sub-standard in quality to say the least. This is simply the natural state of the long-tail effect.
I have gotten into a lot of heated discussions over this, but it is simply the truth. One of the reasons web development has become so popular is (aside from the advantages that distributed platform, open standards, and everyone having a browser) is that web development requires less discipline than application or system programming. This leads to a lot of crappy stuff on the web.
This new advantage will go to the heads of all those web developers, and they will assume they are on par with application or system programmers just because all of a sudden they don’t need to be connected to the cloud all the time for their creations to function properly. Are we ready to run all of that crap locally on our machines as well?
By: tamgo on 13 June, 2007
at 6:40 pm