Ebrahim Ezzy has an interesting post over on Read/Write Web on Webified Desktop Apps vs Browser-based Apps. He is of the opinion that the desktop applications will rule for a long time to come, but not without using the Web.
The only good point with Browsered - Compatibility
Let me first come up with the only good point I see in the Web. With applications on the Web, if I do perform my tasks from multiple places or computers then I deal with the same vendor which eliminates the problem of compatibility. However, the value is partial with the development of open standards to enforce compatibility in domains rather than applications.
Back to Thin Clients?
I had expressed my dissent over embracing Web for all tasks and have wondered if this trend is driving us back to the future of mainframes. The problem with using the Web for everything is that the network availability is being taken for granted. With all due respect to the city-wide WiFis, there a lot of areas in the world where Internet access is not very convenient or affordable and this questions its basic usability. With the web-based operating environments or office suites, we are making the Web a mandatory factor in our critical tasks. What happens when I want to edit the document in a vehicle or when my network goes down because of some problems out of my control? As against this, my desktop is in my control. An even more ridiculous thing is that all these functionalities are already available for the desktops, including free and open source versions.
Inefficient use of resources
A more practical problem, or rather waste of a resource is not using the ever-increasing performance and efficiency of the desktop processors. With everything on the Web, why do we need them? We can conveniently go back go the older desktop operating systems and older hardware and use the Web. Isn’t something amiss? If the Web becomes the only application platform shouldn’t the desktop processors development stop?
Access or Perform from everywhere?
The primary advantage of Web is access from everywhere, not perform all our tasks from everywhere. The need for performing tasks is even more diluted with the increasing use of portable computers. This advantage is strongest for the users not living out of suitcases, but out of cybercafes.
Purpose of Web
While this sounds like a contest between desktop and Web, it is unfair to compare both of them. Web is a platform, a desktop is also a resource. A desktop is required, even for using the Web and it is not vice versa. If I invest in a desktop, the additional investment in Web to perform tasks that I can already do on desktops is not justifiable.
Web is for collaboration, Web is for communication and Web is for making information available. It does not matter if it is being accessed through browsers or other applications. Web can be used by desktop applications for its features and then go back to the local computer for intensive processing. There are new technologies like the smart clients to offer an unified experience to the user. Ebrahim cites some good examples in the article.
I do echo the conclusion by Ebrahim. It need not be Web or Desktop only. We should focus on what is best for the user, from all perspectives, and come up with a solution. Today, it seems like not making them mutually exclusive, but mutually collaborative is the answer.
December 1st, 2006 at 6:30 pm
[...] Google is building vertical functionalities in its office suite by integrating with other Google services, which is cool. And it can happen in many more ways. It makes sense for documents that are going to be online, like probably your resume. I follow the online office suites in spite of believing that webified applications are better than browsered ones, for most cases today. The reason being that I see use for online office suites in the space of sharing and collaboration. I still prefer a a publish button in my desktop office suite is better than having to compose the entire document online. Similarly, I would prefer if this can be done in my desktop office suite. [...]
December 31st, 2006 at 3:54 pm
[...] My wish, not prediction is that desktops should be more utilised. Not only should Web applications flourish, even the desktop should be fully utilised. I had put down my reasoning earlier. Web is still not as convenient as the desktop, there are many more connecting points on which we need to depend, and so many more points of failure. I wish that more and more desktop applications will connect with the Web rather than more Web applications trying to compete with the desktop. [...]
February 19th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
[...] Software as a Service (Saas) have a desktop client? I had a strong opinion about browsered or webified applications, and I still stand by it. And that is mainly for two [...]
July 21st, 2007 at 2:49 pm
[...] is an interesting project I was fiddling with for some time. It is a novel approach in the whole desktop v/s web tussle. Pyro uses Mozilla Firefox as a platform to build your desktop. This enables it to run web content [...]
February 25th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
[...] Adobe is about to release AIR 1.0, which means that AIR will cross a huge milestone. AIR is a cross platform merge the desktop and the Web, and develop rich applications. I think this is a milestone not only for Adobe, but for the technologies which can offer webified applications. [...]