Leaving Desktop Apps Behind
Right now the web is the best that it’s ever been, both with design and rich applications. ‘Web 2.0′ has forced people to use the web in a way that has been very efficient, and beneficial to its users. What’s even more interesting to me, is that within the past year, the amount of web apps that I use has doubled, leaving behind many desktop apps that no longer see the light of day.
With applications like Google Calendar and Basecamp (just to name a few) it has been very easy to collaborate with others and have the ability to access my information no matter where I am, as long as there is an internet connection. It seems like every day, new web applications are popping up, and though not all of them are great and useful (to me), it is becoming almost second nature to use some of these web apps instead of the desktop apps.
After reading the Top 10 Web 2.0 Winners, I realize that I use 8/10 of those services, and the two that I don’t use (Revver and Skype), I’ve been considering giving them a try. Reading that list made try to compare which web apps I used with desktop apps I use. I don’t exactly need to get into the comparison too much, but the only desktop apps I really use day in and day out are Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and iTunes. Since I can’t see web apps that duplicate the functionality of those, I probably will be using them for some time.
Another thing that made me think of why web apps are so big now is because there seems to be big communities behind them, which makes the experience of using some of these apps so much better, and many of them thrive on these communities to be successful. In my opinion, it seems that ‘Web 2.0′ is alot more focused on communities with these rich applications. It is very interesting to watch.
I can’t say that I’m trying to give up using desktop apps, because they will always have a place, however I also like that this era of the web is bringing forward many great applications. This era of the web has easily changed the way that I get work done and stay organized, which is why it has proved to be pretty beneficial for me. What web apps do you use day in and day out?
3 Comments
I actually use suprisingly few web apps. Del.icio.us, Google maps & Gmail, YouTube, and thats about it. However I too like the way things are going on the web from an application point of view. I also like the fact that I’m here as a web designer and part of it
It’s definitely good to be apart of it! I wouldn’t exactly say that it’s a norm for people to use more web apps than desktop apps, but I certainly do. It just seems that tons of apps are popping up on the web that could be more useful than static desktop apps.
Ok, I don’t know if these qualify, but lately I’ve been using Wikipedia and Google Maps quite a bit. As a designer I still use desktop apps, of course, but the proliferation of useful Web applications definitely has its own niche. I think of it like being a kid playing in my own backyard, until I discover these really nifty places in the next town and now I’m not home as much anymore.