Ok, I think it accomplishes at least a few useful things:
Corroborates the recent AJAX fad: establishes a very flashy metric illustrating some degree of robustness of JavaScript. If you can do an OS, you must be able to do some reasonably serious client apps, right? It's PR for "thick client" development which I happen to think we need more of and M$ thinks we need none of.
Might spark a lightbulb in someone's head that web-browser-side application development frameworks might be handy. (I kinda like command-line interfaces and now we can have them in web pages;) ) Anyway, someone might try making a browser-side application development system that is easier to use than Java-Script for example.
Perhaps obliquely encourages the development of more refined user interfaces in web
applications.
A lot of people apparently don't realize that web apps can be much more than just form submissions. This little stunt helps drive home just how powerful web apps can really be. All those middle-managers who aren't actually developers will perhaps start approving the development of more sophisticated user interfaces in web apps once they see how robust the browser environment can really be.
Java applets should have enabled this movement a long time ago, but at least people are getting a clue now.
Hmm. Ironically, your post sounds an aweful lot like a "I'm not clever or imaginive enough to come up with my own innovations so I'll just ridicule someone else who is." compensation device...
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I'd like to know how complex this code is... how many lines, functions, etc?
In my brief forrays into JavaScript development I have found debugging to be a serious pain because browser error messages are so information-free.
Is there such thing as a JavaScript debugger out there?
What kind of development tools would someone use for making a JavaScript app of this kind of sophistication?
Can anyone at least point the rest of us to some good freely-available JavaScript editors?
Ok, I think it accomplishes at least a few useful things:
A lot of people apparently don't realize that web apps can be much more than just form submissions. This little stunt helps drive home just how powerful web apps can really be. All those middle-managers who aren't actually developers will perhaps start approving the development of more sophisticated user interfaces in web apps once they see how robust the browser environment can really be.
Java applets should have enabled this movement a long time ago, but at least people are getting a clue now.
Hmm. Ironically, your post sounds an aweful lot like a "I'm not clever or imaginive enough to come up with my own innovations so I'll just ridicule someone else who is." compensation device...