My response? I always did, I still now, and I think I will probably always, hate web apps!
In fact, I'm always looking for ways to spend less time in a browser.
- Why visit www.gmail.com when you can have the super-fast super featured Thunderbird (and use IMAP) running natively in your Operating System of choice?
- Why use an extension of your browser when you can have the super-fast TweetDeck running natively (well, under AIR) in your Operating System of choice?
- Why visit docs.google.com when you can have OpenOffice (or any number of other free office applications) running natively in your operating system of choice--saving to your DropBox folder, of course (for which you have the native client installed and never visit www.dropbox.com)?
- Why use a web chatting service when you can have KVIrc/mIRC/IceChat/whatever your favourite IRC client is, and chat on IRC servers?
An (native) app for everything, and everything to its own app, I've always said!
I have to disagree, as web applications have a ton of advantages over classic windows applications. Some which I can think of :
ReplyDelete* No need to download updates. You will always be using the most recent released version of a web application since you do not have to install it.
* You can access it from any device which can understand http. For instance, I can open any documents from Google docs, just about anywhere. I can't really go into an internet cafe and install dropbox on hardware I do not own now, can I.
* Google Reader for RSS feeds. I cannot imagine using a windows application for RSS feeds when having more then one device. My read posts and subscriptions would all be out of sync as that is stored in configuration of the application, and not on a central server.
Though don't get me wrong and think I am saying that native applications are bad. It is just that some web applications truly shine more depending on how you use them.
My responses to your points:
Delete* Always on the latest version: depending on how you look at it, this could be a bad thing. I, for one, like to always know what version of my apps I'm running, and I religiously scan through changelogs whenever a new version gets released. With a web app, that excitement is kind of lost. If the change is a UI change, often you sign into your favourite website (Facebook is a prime example), and go "Oh, crap! What have they changed NOW?!" If the change is not a UI change, but some small logic change, chances are you'll never know.
* Access from anywhere: yes, but at what cost? I don't want to be required to be connected to the Internet just to type a document! Now with HTML5 I gather you can make websites and web pages completely offline-aware, so you can access them even when you have no network connection whatsoever. That's fine, but it still doesn't change the fact that we're using html for a purpose it was never truly intended. Besides, I'd really like to have my documents stored locally where I KNOW how to get to them. Why don't you have software that can read/write all your documents installed on every device you use, then sync those documents to every device you use? Much more control. Who goes to internet cafes anymore, anyway? ;-)
* RSS feeds: Personally, I don't read RSS feeds (that's what Twitter's for :P), but it sounds to me that that would be a problem with the apps you're using. TweetDeck, for example, has its own user authentication service, and all your accounts and columns are stored on the central server. If you install TweetDeck on a brand new device and sign in with your TweetDeck account, all your columns are there, just as you left them!
In general, an app that has a UI DESIGNED to display (for example) e-mail is going to be way faster and more responsive than a web browser which not only has to download the e-mail that needs to be displayed, but also information about HOW to display that e-mail.