Are web applications taking over software?

Remember a time before away messages, back when it seemed like Winamp would never lose its footing atop the media player hierarchy? To say that the Internet and its related applications have been dynamic throughout their existences would certainly be an understatement. Last semester I spoke about the emergence of the “second dot-com boom” and how user-driven Web sites like Digg and YouTube have recently been able to rise to the top of the pack. In years to come, yet another transformation will certainly grow in prominence: the shift from desktop-based to Web-based applications. As new technologies are developed, Web pages are being fitted with functionality unlike ever before. Sites boasting keyboard shortcuts and drag-and-drop capabilities have significantly reduced the demand for traditional standalone computer programs.

You may be wondering why this sort of transition is of any major importance for a typical college student. Well, let’s say that you want to use a library or lab computer to quickly check something out on Instant Messenger. If your chat client of choice isn’t already installed, the installation itself might actually take longer than using the program itself (if you’re even able to install new software without an administrative account). Simply pointing your Web browser to Meebo.com allows you to use their snazzy Web interface for all your messaging needs without having to install or configure a thing. Meebo supports AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and ICQ among others, and even allows you to connect to more than one at a time. Take that, AIM Express!

Of course, Meebo isn’t the only Web-based application that has been gaining notoriety as of late. Google has recently set its crosshairs on Microsoft Office with its Calendar, Gmail, Docs & Spreadsheets, and Page Creator applications, prompting a number of major companies to reconsider seriously the tools they’re utilizing to do business. A couple of different development teams have even come up with Web-based operating systems - EyeOS and YouOS, to name a few. These alternatives aren’t meant to replace a standard OS, but rather to complement it by providing a complex environment that can be accessed from anywhere.

Web-based applications have four major advantages over their more common desktop counterparts: simplicity, versatility, accessibility, and affordability. Web applications are simple because they don’t need to be installed to your computer, and as a result, don’t take up any space on your hard drive. Their versatility lies in being cross platform, meaning that they run just the same on any Windows, Mac, or Linux boot. While these are certainly enticing characteristics, the major selling point of Web software is the global accessibility.

Your Google account, for example, can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection, keeping all your stored documents right at your fingertips. In addition, most Web software is either free or at least available for a fraction of the cost of desktop applications. Adobe has recently announced plans for a free Web-based version of Photoshop, the industry standard program for graphic editing and design. The main appeal here is the price tag, a whole $579 cheaper than in stores. However, it would be ridiculous to expect the online version to be anywhere near as powerful as the original. Even if Adobe could recreate all the same features in an online version, they wouldn’t, since they’re giving it away for free. Clearly, for programs existing in both desktop and Web-based forms, there’s a tradeoff between the four aforementioned characteristics and the unmatched functionality of a full software package.

The point I’m trying to convey is simply that as Web technologies advance, the lines between the two are certainly becoming blurred.

Article written by Bryan Irace.