Desktop apps - The Sunset???

With the advent and maturity of Web 2.0 concepts and feature rich dev tools, the impetus to develop desktop solutions for your computing needs should be seeing a decline. I was mulling over the “problem of choice” ( Matrix fame)…… What would be the factors to consider when deciding whether an application/system should be served as a standalone installer for a desktop app OR a surf-n-use web solution. These are some of the factors that favored going online with our apps.

1. Cross compatibility: This is one BIG advantage where you would’nt have to create Linux, Mac and Windows distro’s for the same app. Bad news for those companies that made a neat packet out of “application porting”.
2. Universal Upgrade: Web applications reduce the pain of distributing patches, service packs and version updates. This needs to be done only in the centralized application server and it trickles to all users.
3. Easy application support: This will come as a great sigh of relief to companies maintaining extensive service/ support personnel. The logic lies in the fact that a stable release of a software is done after extensive QA where trained testers try to break the code. So most support queries issues are with respect to system specific compatibility issues, missing support utilities and the problems due to OS localization etc etc etc… These are cleaned out in one sweep when you go online.
4. Heightened security and reliablity: Service continuity is enhanced if the application servers are robust and outages will not happen on an ad-hoc basis. If the application is processor intensive then high end servers can do a better job and heighten throughput as compared to a desktop.

Will be building on this in the coming days. For the moment just could’nt resist sharing this with you…..

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