The Synthasite team recently had a strategy & planning session, and one of the things we did, was to look at the real benefits of why users (we hope) would use a platform like Synthasite, instead of Dreamweaver or Frontpage (i.e. Web App vs Desktop App).
There is a screencast demo of Synthasite that we produced from the sessions, but also, here is the list of reasons that we came up with as to why Web Apps are superior to (most) desktop apps – and herein lies the future of the web! The clip is available on YouTube here and in higher res format here.
And here are the 20 reasons why Web Apps are superior to Desktop Apps!
Never installed
Browser based software never requires installation processes or hard drive space. It lives in a virtual cloud in the Internet and this means that whenever you launch it, it always has the latest version. Ajax has made it possible to deliver Desktop-like look & feel, and functionality, with no loss of performance!
Updates are seamless
Instead of having to patch each and every individual user, the patches/upgrades are applied to the server and each user received the updated version the next time they log in.
No legacy
This is a big issue for traditional software vendors. Users who purchase previous versions of a software almost always will result in legacy versions lying around which need support (which is costly). The problems relating to legacy software are almost limitless, and often is not efficient for both the vendor or the customer.
No admin rights required
Finally, a world where the network administrator in the company does not have to approve the installation of your software!
Available anywhere, anytime
Ok, so the anytime comment is a stretch, but that’s only until Adobe’s Apollo gets here (here’s hoping!). The same way that people access their email from any browser, web apps are exactly the same.
Platform independent
This opens a wider market for software vendors – no longer do they have to build technology around a specific platform and limit their market (or incur additional costs to build for another platform). The browser is the platfom and therefore I believe you will see increased uptake in OS’s like Mac OS and Linus, due to the increased availability of Web Applications.
Less environmental conflicts
There are certainly going to be a lot less bugs in Web based software, due to the fact that it is not depending on any of the hardware or environment settings in the OS that may usually cause a problem.
Enables social possibilities
Many Web Apps are creating chat facilities and the ability to share your work in real time. This removes the previous “stand-alone” functionality that use to exist with most installed desktop applications. The world is becoming more and more social - people want to collaborate and work online together - Web Apps allows this, painlessly.
Lower cost of sale
No boxes, printed manual, expensive shipping costs, CD’s, distribution channels, middlemen, etc. Desktop apps are going to be more economical to produce and will result in a lower cost of sale!
Usable from inexpensive PCs
$100 Laptops, here we come! What do you need a dual core processor for, if you’re running a thin client application? This opens up a world of cost savings for both companies and consumers, especially in the field of productivity apps (obviously, not gaming!).
Piracy-proof
Here is a big one. Imagine a world without software piracy. That world is here, and Web Applications are the solution to that problem. Next problem, please!
No bad debts
Sofware companies are often owed money from distributors, that invariably go bust from time to time. With Web Apps, the cash is collected upfront and as long as the customer pays, the account is in good stead.
Low-cost support and maintenance
Given that the browser is now the platform, operational support costs and maintenance for Web Application providers will drop substantially. No need to have expensive operating system gurus on hand to help with installation problems. Also, using products like the Amazon EC2 cloud, will allow scalability, without a proportionate increase in costs.
User’s data is kept safe in hosting environment
Although this is probably not going to be true for all Web App companies, but using providers like Rackspace or Amazon’s EC2 cloud will go a long way in reassuring your customers that their data is safer than on their desktop!
No Viruses
No installation, means no viruses. Start shorting all those Anti-Virus stocks! Enough said!
Low cost global distribution
No more channel reliance. Most software companies make it or break it, depending on their channel. Forget that – focus on the biggest channel of all – the 1 billion users online!
Lower software price entry point for customers
Given the benefits above, you will see more products such as Basecamp and Synthasite that will offer far greater value than their desktop equivalents.
Access to the entire assets of the Web (APIs, widgets, messaging, collaboration)
By being wired into the web, Web Apps are able to integrate seamless into API’s etc and are a lot more customizable, than traditional software applications.
Mobile is here
Compiled desktop applications are going to have a hard time being adapted for mobile devices. Web apps are ready made (in most cases).
Widest potential audience
For all the points above, this basically unlocks markets for software vendors that previously were inaccessible due to technical reasons.
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Comments On This Post
February 9, 2007 at 7:59 am
Vinny great post!
The idea is as you said, making it available anywhere, anytime…
February 9, 2007 at 9:59 am
Vinny great post!
The idea is as you said, making it available anywhere, anytime…
February 13, 2007 at 6:09 pm
[...] I am a firm believer that the future of software is internet-based we applications. We will continue to move from software you buy and install on your computer to software that you rent and run over the internet. Vinny Lingham had a great post this week about the top 20 reasons web apps are better then desktop apps. Now, this is the shared vision for the future of software for many of us, but one of the things that I’ve observed is that while the early adopters are moving online, we are still waiting for the masses to begin their mass migration towards web apps. [...]
June 5, 2007 at 10:32 am
[...] welcome you all to the future of software applications - on the [...]
August 7, 2007 at 11:44 am
[...] by Vinny Lingham on the emerging Web App industry and what makes web apps the future of software.read more | digg [...]
August 11, 2007 at 11:29 am
[...] improve your intranet 720. Ten Tips You Need to Survive College 721. Top 20 Reasons why Web Apps are Superior to Desktop Apps 722. Top 5 Reasons why I Hate Parallel Programming (Sometimes) 723. Top [...]
September 19, 2007 at 3:47 am
[...] Top 20 Reasons why Web Apps are Superior to Desktop Apps [...]
September 21, 2007 at 11:06 am
[...] Top 20 Reasons why Web Apps are Superior to Desktop AppsNot totally convinced by this but interesting enough read [...]
October 1, 2007 at 12:18 pm
[...] echoes much of what I wrote in my post about why Web Applications are superior to desktop applications - there is a paradigm shift underway. Summary: Adoption of web applications is moving faster than [...]
October 26, 2007 at 7:08 pm
“Never installed”
No, instead, it’s always downloaded. Forget gigabit - with enough users you’d need terabit… internet connections.
Not networks.
Unless the company’s the one hosting the web app, that is.
“Updates are seamless”
I’ll give you that one; “Clear your browser cache” “Huh?” is the only problem I see. However, there’s still the ability to use regular thin clients, e.g. Citrix.
“No legacy”
What? Aren’t there people still clinging to that evil NS4, or to IE6, or to Lynx?
“No admin rights required”
Assuming /everything/ you want is on the web, yes. Also, RDP/VNC, Citrix, etc….
“Available anywhere, anytime”
Yay, another Adobe product… am I the only one that sees a problem with that?
Anyway, true so long as the company’s not the one hosting the web apps, otherwise it’s up to the company whether or not it’s available anywhere.
Also, let’s not forget that this can be done with desktop apps anyway (RDP/VNC, Citrix, etc.).
“Platform independent”
N/A. It just turns from “This OS isn’t supported” into “This browser isn’t supported”.
“Less environmental conflicts”
See above, though granted there will still be less.
“Enables social possibilities”
N/A. You can have desktop chat/collab apps as much as you can have web ones, .. just like you can have NO web ones.
Collab files? Network files, collab apps, etc..
Just not applicable.
“Lower cost of sale”
I have to give you that one too.
“Usable from inexpensive PCs”
Thin client? What are you talking about?
Often enough you have to load a fair amount of resources and have to process all those fancy effects - they are a LOT more taxing when emulated from a browser rather than done natively.
“Piracy-proof”
Piracy often occurs from the inside, i.e. leaks, and therefore this is incorrect. The only way this wouldn’t apply is if everything were to be open-source (Yeah, right - like they’d be that brave!).
“No bad debts”
Conversely, if your web app provider goes bust and you had to use their servers, there go your apps.
Possibly your files too.
“Say, did anyone export that document I spent a few weeks on…?”
“Low-cost support and maintenance”
Instead, you’re just saying, “We did a boo-boo exporting our code from the test server to the production server. Come back tomorrow. Have a day off or something.”
Well, ‘day’ is a stretch, but you get the idea. Everyone using that web app goes down when that happens, not just one person, or one group/team, or (maybe) one company.
This makes potential faults and other issues become a SEVERE cost.
“User’s data is kept safe in hosting environment”
Pseudo-safe. Viruses will adapt to web apps too, likely.
“No Viruses”
As long as there’s something executing, there’s a possibility of infection. It may be harder, but it’s still there.
“Low cost global distribution”
Yeah. All you have to worry about is latency (Again, if not hosted by the company).
“Lower software price entry point for customers”
This was possible beforehand; The ideals that people are having about the Web, however, is forcing companies to realise that sharing with the end-users is a good thing.
“Access to the entire assets of the Web (APIs, widgets, messaging, collaboration)”
…? Do you think these things are exclusive to the web somehow? They quite simply aren’t.
Unless, of course, you’ve forgotten that the Web is part of the Internet (for one).
“Mobile is here”
Depending on your resolution, yes.
Don’t try Gmail on your cell phone! (Although they probably have a special interface for those, the point is that no, you still have to make changes.)
“Widest potential audience”
Given, but it seems to me you’ve already mentioned that with ‘channels’.
October 26, 2007 at 9:08 pm
“Never installed”
No, instead, it’s always downloaded. Forget gigabit - with enough users you’d need terabit… internet connections.
Not networks.
Unless the company’s the one hosting the web app, that is.
“Updates are seamless”
I’ll give you that one; “Clear your browser cache” “Huh?” is the only problem I see. However, there’s still the ability to use regular thin clients, e.g. Citrix.
“No legacy”
What? Aren’t there people still clinging to that evil NS4, or to IE6, or to Lynx?
“No admin rights required”
Assuming /everything/ you want is on the web, yes. Also, RDP/VNC, Citrix, etc….
“Available anywhere, anytime”
Yay, another Adobe product… am I the only one that sees a problem with that?
Anyway, true so long as the company’s not the one hosting the web apps, otherwise it’s up to the company whether or not it’s available anywhere.
Also, let’s not forget that this can be done with desktop apps anyway (RDP/VNC, Citrix, etc.).
“Platform independent”
N/A. It just turns from “This OS isn’t supported” into “This browser isn’t supported”.
“Less environmental conflicts”
See above, though granted there will still be less.
“Enables social possibilities”
N/A. You can have desktop chat/collab apps as much as you can have web ones, .. just like you can have NO web ones.
Collab files? Network files, collab apps, etc..
Just not applicable.
“Lower cost of sale”
I have to give you that one too.
“Usable from inexpensive PCs”
Thin client? What are you talking about?
Often enough you have to load a fair amount of resources and have to process all those fancy effects - they are a LOT more taxing when emulated from a browser rather than done natively.
“Piracy-proof”
Piracy often occurs from the inside, i.e. leaks, and therefore this is incorrect. The only way this wouldn’t apply is if everything were to be open-source (Yeah, right - like they’d be that brave!).
“No bad debts”
Conversely, if your web app provider goes bust and you had to use their servers, there go your apps.
Possibly your files too.
“Say, did anyone export that document I spent a few weeks on…?”
“Low-cost support and maintenance”
Instead, you’re just saying, “We did a boo-boo exporting our code from the test server to the production server. Come back tomorrow. Have a day off or something.”
Well, ‘day’ is a stretch, but you get the idea. Everyone using that web app goes down when that happens, not just one person, or one group/team, or (maybe) one company.
This makes potential faults and other issues become a SEVERE cost.
“User’s data is kept safe in hosting environment”
Pseudo-safe. Viruses will adapt to web apps too, likely.
“No Viruses”
As long as there’s something executing, there’s a possibility of infection. It may be harder, but it’s still there.
“Low cost global distribution”
Yeah. All you have to worry about is latency (Again, if not hosted by the company).
“Lower software price entry point for customers”
This was possible beforehand; The ideals that people are having about the Web, however, is forcing companies to realise that sharing with the end-users is a good thing.
“Access to the entire assets of the Web (APIs, widgets, messaging, collaboration)”
…? Do you think these things are exclusive to the web somehow? They quite simply aren’t.
Unless, of course, you’ve forgotten that the Web is part of the Internet (for one).
“Mobile is here”
Depending on your resolution, yes.
Don’t try Gmail on your cell phone! (Although they probably have a special interface for those, the point is that no, you still have to make changes.)
“Widest potential audience”
Given, but it seems to me you’ve already mentioned that with ‘channels’.
February 19, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Lower cost of sale
No boxes, printed manual, expensive shipping costs, CD’s, distribution channels, middlemen, etc. Desktop apps are going to be more economical to produce and will result in a lower cost of sale!
Do you not mean Web apps are going to be more economical?
February 19, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Lower cost of sale
No boxes, printed manual, expensive shipping costs, CD’s, distribution channels, middlemen, etc. Desktop apps are going to be more economical to produce and will result in a lower cost of sale!
Do you not mean Web apps are going to be more economical?
February 20, 2008 at 1:34 am
Neither. The only reason desktop apps have those in the first place is because PEOPLE LOVE THEM.
So, web or not, that one gets scratched.
February 20, 2008 at 3:34 am
Neither. The only reason desktop apps have those in the first place is because PEOPLE LOVE THEM.
So, web or not, that one gets scratched.
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