One of the ongoing debates I have with some of my co-workers are whether web apps are going to take over the majority of applications that users interact with on a daily basis, or whether the future will remain in the hands of internet-enabled desktop apps. I maintain that desktop apps with integrated connectivity are the future.\u00a0 Many of my co-workers place their trust in software that only runs in the cloud.<\/p>\n
So what is a web app?\u00a0 http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Web_app<\/a><\/p>\n In software engineering<\/a>, a web application<\/strong> is an application<\/a> that is accessed via a web browser<\/a> over a network such as the Internet<\/a> or an intranet<\/a>….Web applications are popular due to the ubiquity of web browsers, and the convenience of using a web browser as a client<\/a>, sometimes called a thin client<\/a>. The ability to update and maintain web applications without distributing and installing software on potentially thousands of client computers is a key reason for their popularity, as is the inherent support for cross-platform compatibility.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The issue here is whether or not the software runs solely in the browser, or whether additional software needs to be downloaded and installed on the desktop in order for the application to work.\u00a0 If I am on a locked-down computer in a Malaysian internet cafe, and cannot run a program without having to download and install something, it is not a web app.\u00a0 It does not adhere to the requirement that the application can be used solely from a browser, without additional installation.\u00a0 Well, just today I tried uploading a number of photos on Facebook and discovered that I could not do so without downloading (and installing) an .exe photo uploader.\u00a0 Thus, Facebook broke the cardinal rule of web apps: no software distribution or installation.<\/p>\n