Slashdot Mirror
Can Web Apps Ever Truly Replace Desktop Apps?
tooger writes "Matt Hartley from MadPenguin.org opines that web apps can never replace desktop applications, for a variety of reasons. He writes, 'Some of you may point out that the data stored on your hard drive is not of any real consequence, but I would disagree. It is more than probable that a skilled, disgruntled employee of the company you trust with your data could ... sell off your personal information.' Given the real danger of privacy concerns, identity theft, and uptime, will web-based applications ever truly replace locally hosted software?"
If most people will trust Microsoft with their personal data, why shouldn't they trust some random company out there on the web someplace? Microsoft has already proven themselves to be untrustworthy (spyware, insecurity.)
If over 50% of the world's PCs are compromised, then most people's data is already vulnerable, on their own PC.
I call FUD.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Given the prevalence of behavior-logging spyware on most end-consumer computers, I'm not sure if the average person's data would be more secure on their own PC, or even their work PC. Of course it's nice to feel that you're responsible for your own data, and it's sitting there safe on your hard drive, but Microsoft is Microsoft, rootkits are rootkits, and Chinese hackers are Chinese hackers.
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.
So now I don't know. Besides the security of having all your data on your own hard drive, I'm not sure I have a compelling technical reason to argue that virtually all applications couldn't eventually be ran through the web browser.
Well, there have been very similar articles. And the discussion won't be different, and the discussion is the important part of slashdot right?
Discussion might go something like: web apps are good for intranet applications like a calendar, web apps are sometimes less secure, desktop apps can be used offline (no wait! there's a new feature of Firefox somewhere, RTFA, web apps are useful for this, desktop apps are good for that, and there's a balance. Blah blah blah.
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"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thank you... why does everything have to be so... binary? Would anyone really expect web apps to completely supplant desktop apps? Putting aside obvious niche markets like publishing or financial reporting, they certainly will for certain applications... for instance, my former department used to use Word's clumsy collaboration features to edit a common "weekly update" document for management. Now they use Google Docs. On the other hand, no one in their right mind would depend on Google Docs if their network connection wasn't guaranteed.
By the way, the FUSE Google file system makes keeping a local copy of your Google docs VERY easy. I'm not sure how easy a sync would be, but a backup is a cinch.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Whenever I hear positive talk about web apps, it's mostly developers who say how easy they are to deploy. Or managers and admins tend to like the idea because they seem to make their lives in one or the other aspect easier. But whenever actual users talk about web apps, I have the feeling it is mostly negative. With web apps it seems a bit to be like with Java. I know a few developers who love to develop with Java and its tools, but actually hate to run and use Java apps themselves.
Many desktop application get strong support because people also run then privately at home. If the average user really hates web apps, he won't run them at home. Therefore he won't get a very good working knowledge of them, with the result that he will only use them only reluctantly at work. This surely won't help productivity. So it is to see whether the user or the admin faction is winning.
The major possible exception to this is gaming; but even there consoles are paving the way. I wonder if developers have started to think about utilizing local resources for the intense computational stuff, while maintaining an otherwise thin presence on the client machine?
[Ego]out
Fewer and fewer people that I know even own a desktop computer any more; most have a set-up similar to my own: a couple of laptops and a file/print server in the basement. In fact, the only desktop use that I personally encounter any more is at work.
I regularly use my laptop when I don't have an internet connection, for whatever reason, and being dependent on some network storage would severely cramp my style. People synchronize their laptops with network storage for a reason.
Someday, when internet access is ubiquitous, I'll buy into replacing desktop apps with distributed (in whatever form) apps, but I don't think we're there yet. I don't think we're even close. And, to be frank, while Google has some outstanding applications, the word processor and spreadsheet aren't even close to adequate for non-trivial use.
--- SER
I've already replaced Microsoft Office with web apps. When I bought a new computer, that came with MS Vista, once I got so frustrated that I had to replace Vista with my trusty XP Pro SP2, I decided I was also going to forgo all the benefits of Microsoft Office and use only Google Docs. I teach at a University and I haven't regretted my decision once. If I want to have the files saved locally I can easily do that and everything is compatible with the Office files people send me. I don't use Powerpoint, so it's not an issue, and if somebody sends me a ppt file, I use the free viewer to look at them.
Google docs saves my stuff as PDFs when I want it to, and as Word docs when I want that. I'm not much of an Excel user, but the basic spreadsheets I do use work just fine in Google Docs. I assume that it will only get better with time, too.
It's funny, but I feel really good about not having Microsoft Word on my computer. I'm not an MS hater, and I really do like XP Pro. I could have MS Office 2007 for next to nothing thanks to the deal my institution has with Microsoft, but for now I'm just going to leave it alone, and that's just OK with me. I bet there are lots of people who really don't need Office.
Oh, and when I'm using my laptop, my documents are right there for me. I don't have Office on that machine either.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Webapps can be secure. Your bank trusts them.
Yep. Provided it's your bank who's managing the webapp.
Like everything in IT, it's a tradeoff.
Are we prepared to tradeoff the risk inherent in storing our data on someone else's system (what happens if they go bankrupt? how can we be sure their systems are reliable and secure?) against the work involved in running our own (how do we upgrade everything? are we prepared to spend several weeks preparing for and rolling out an application rather than just paying £££ to someone so we can login to a website they run to do everything?).
Right now, a lot of businesses are saying that they're not at all sure about risking data on which they depend on someone else's business plan. But an appliance which provides the application - either a hardware appliance like the Google device or a prebuilt VMWare image - is much more attractive.
As regards individuals - lots of people are communicating extensively via email yet trust Hotmail for everything. I don't see this as being much different.