You've probably guessed by now that we're big fans of web-based apps
here at Download Squad. But that doesn't mean we don't give equal time
to proponents of keeping it on the desktop. And Robin Miller has
posted some good points
over at NewsForge about why you might want to stick to local programs
for mission-critical data. All of Miller's three reasons boil down to
one simple idea: connectivity goes down. So, if you've got all of your
programs (not to mention related data) off on some far-flung server and
you lose your connection, you're toast. Miller's right, of course
— connectivity does indeed go down, and if you travel much, you may
often find yourself in situations where it doesn't exist at all. But
that doesn't mean there's no place for web-based apps. It just means
the old adage about backing up constantly is even more important; only
now the backup is on your local drive, while the primary files are off
in the ether. I wouldn't use Gmail if I couldn't also retrieve and save
my mail via POP, but I also like knowing that I can access all of my
mail from anywhere. I'd feel the same way about a web-based
spreadsheet, word-processor or organizer. Hopefully, as developers roll
out these services, they'll start to add syncing tools, making backups
transparent. Otherwise, Miller may indeed prove prophetic.
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Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsNicholasOct 19th 2005 9:03AM
I hear this argument all the time, and I just don't buy it at all. It's simple really (for me at least). I'm a web designer. If I lose connectivity, there's not a whole lot for me to do. Sure, if my internet connection goes down, I can work offline (to a certain extent), but I'd rather just sit around and wait for it to come back on.
Isn't this argument the equivalent of saying, hey you shouldn't keep something just on a computer (you need a paper copy) because you could lose power. In my 5 year professional career, the longest I've been without internet was right after Hurricane Katrina (2-3 days). Even then, our internet connection never really went down, we just lost power.
PunchyOct 19th 2005 9:58AM
I agree with the previous poster, this article only points out one reason against web based apps and not three, infrastructure failure.
Web apps are so small that they can easily be places in cache or a USB key for that matter and then when you get back online you can just sync up the data at your leisure. Or mabe the writer presupposes that we will all be working on thin clients in the future with no drive space or USB ports???
I remain a proponent of web based applications primarily for reason of portability, security (yes security), freedom from bloatware, malware, viruses, and the constant patching and upgrading required, whcih BTW also presupposes that I am online.
Too many vendors ship out half asses code in the name of time to market and fully expect us to manage patches, security updates and revision changes by way of highspeed connectivity.
With a web based app. I will only be notified of new features as they are made available. Nice.
I am not plugging any one company, but if you need to look at the future first hand, do yourself a favour and check out a robust, feature rich and mature web based app. called Salesforce. These guys are doing it right. I'm hooked and will never look back
Punchy