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Simon Williams wrote: > > but I will have to run it from the local machine as I won't have an > Internet connection. Alien concept -- not having an Internet connection. > 1. It confines the app to the web browser. I know we have tabbed > browsing, but it can quite easily get confusing. One can deliver server based apps from outside the web browser, SUN do this with their Java technology, when the Java apps are downloaded and run locally. However I think it makes as much sense for Java apps to be downloaded and cached by the browser, this really doesn't get that confusing. > 2. Any key commands are interpreted by the web browser first, and > many will never reach the app. You can't use ctrl-t for example. > Actually, I don't think you can use ctrl-anything. Maybe alt is the > same. I think the specifics here are wrong, certainly web apps can negotiate a little with browsers for which key sequences are handled/passed. The general point here, is that common key sequences from the normal desktop experience may not work as expected. I think that is a factor that will slow adoption of these technologies down, but that it is "different" (if only slightly) doesn't stop it being a potentially good idea. Yahoo have a whole load of widgets for web applications that allow you to make dialogue windows that look like W2k3 or MacOS X, and try and duplicate the desktop experience as closely as possible (although I don't know if that is a good idea). > 3. Unless the server is on a local network and you have good > wireless reception or an ethernet connection it will be too slow. Slow to load first time - possibly. Slow to send and receive big documents. But other than that it is all down to application design and local CPU/memory (which is the same for other apps). Even running the whole application on the server and a thin client that does a VNC style connection is becoming feasible for modern Internet connections. Do remember that "fibre to doorstop" or equivalent performance is expected for 2015 in all modern countries -- think Gigabits per second. > 4. > A connection to the network might not be available at all- then > you're stuck. Another alien concept ;) Some downtime now and then would be good. The word processor will never replace the typewriter, as soon as you have a power cut.... > 5. Web-based applications will always require more > memory and processing power than their local counterparts. Why? Certainly if the virtual machine, scripting methodologies remain this could be true, but heck the local applications are all running in ".NET" or VBA (various bits of Word) or Java (Open Office), it really wouldn't be difficult to do specialist apps for letter writing that out perform Open Office. Indeed I bet FCKEditor loads much much quicker on your machine than OpenOffice. > Add to this the need to download the application every time you start it. What no caching? Pretty much all the big Javascript apps you have download and cache in the browser, similarly for Java. > I do think that HTML should be the native format for word-processed > documents Surely Open Document Format, now we have an ISO standard?! Although simpler formats will do for many other documents. > (though pictures and diagrams may be an issue) PNG and SVG work in all modern browsers. > but moving the application and the documents to web format, > especially on another machine does not sound like a good idea to me. Google run their data centres a lot better than I run my home PC. And I have a tape backup device, firewall, disk mirroring, RAID cache.... Whilst some have security concerns the ordinary mortal would be wise to consider having a copy of key stuff on someone else's well managed servers. I agree there are trust issues -- it must be very clear what is provided and what is not and for how much -- recovery from backup for example. > Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick? Or the wrong stick? Or not > even a stick at all? I think you have the right sort of ideas, but remember Kai has been at this a while, and he seems quite bright (most of the time). Personally I don't see the web applications replacing local applications completely (and I'm writing one). Although in many ways I'm already there, as I install applications pretty much on demand from the Debian mirrors, which are then automatically kept fresh (actually I ask to be notified manually -- but that is a geek thing the ordinary Debian user should probably just accept the updates). But I keep my regular desktop, and the applications integrate to that, and through that with each other (sort of). However in a business environment, I could see tools like Zimbra wiping out local mail clients and work flow tools. The ability to login, and have your whole email/document/contact/diary stuff all integrated, and available from any desktop is too big a draw, chuck in a few Zimlets and you can have 90%+ of what most businesses use IT for in a browser from anywhere. Better yet you can deploy it immediately by buying a hosted service, and the upgrades will be effectively automatic. As such I think Kai is overstating the case, but I'm not going to bet money on that. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html