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Web Based Applications; The Future Of IT
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18-Dec-2008
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It is kind of amazing to think that in its short lifespan of less than 100 years (although it's almost there...), computing has had different eras. And we have already begun the shift toward the next (or previous, depending on how you look at it) one. That of course would be the shift toward Web Based Applications.
What most people remember of the 'first' computers is that they were kind of weird, kind of big, not very useful to 99% of the population, and they took more effort than their utility was worth. These were mostly stand-alone machines that operated independently of one another.
As more and more people became acquainted with computers, and computing itself got easier, there was a push to make smaller, more simplified computers that more people could use. The problem was that most computer applications of that era ('70s/'80s) required more resources than a convenient 'box' could provide. So we had what were called main-frame systems. These essentially were all one big computer, with multiple terminals that could access the one big computer simultaneously.
Then came the days of the PC. The PC was a great invention. It cut down on the need of expensive main-frames, created a booming business out of commercial software, and got us to the point where a computer was in almost every office and home. It even got us to the point of the Internet (more accurately, the 2nd and 3rd generations of the Internet, yeah, it's old for being young, too...).
Just as in table tennis, the ball is bouncing back in the other direction. With computers now relying more on their communication between each other, and less on our interacting with them, main-frame like models are becoming the new norm. What makes all this possible without the sluggish, antiquated methods of before? Web Based Applications.
Web Based Applications are programs that are hosted on a server and, typically, run on your computer through you Web browser. This sounds fairly simplistic, and it is. There is rarely any installation necessary (although you usually do require the latest updates for your particular operating system/accompanying software). As well, Web Based Applications use significantly less local resources on your system, instead relying on the powerful host servers to do all the processing, and then feeding your browser live data through a broadband connection. Sounds all nice, neat, and complete, right? Wrong!
Web Based Applications don't stop there. There was an attempt almost 20 years ago now to create what we now know as the modern broadband Internet. It essentially is what led to movies-on-demand through your television. And for what companies like Time Warner, Microsoft, et cetera, invested – it was a total and utter failure. At the time, that is. Some companies tried to spin their investment with further disasters such as 'Web TV'. It wasn't that they were bad ideas, they were just bad ideas 20 years ago.
Today, companies like Netflix, Google, YouTube, and others, are all taking advantage of the ground work that was laid back then. It is bringing information to you in ways that were never thought possible before, and not even really imagined. What one would only have dreamed of has now become a daily requirement for so many.
At this point, you are probably asking yourself, 'what does this mean to me?' The short answer – not a whole lot. The entire point of true technological innovation is to accommodate the end user as much as possible, and make as smooth a transition as possible. There are, however, some things to expect.
First, computer prices are going to continue to plummet. We are only a few years away from state of the art systems costing around $100 brand new. Also, expect to stop buying software, and start making subscriptions. Many of us have been leery of those...up until now. Expect them to become a normal part of your personal and professional lives. Finally, and perhaps the biggest change, is devices are going to miraculously last longer. Cell phones, laptops, computers (probably not televisions, sorry...) are all going to have significantly longer shelf lives. Again, with the powerhouse computing being done down the line, and you simply being on the receiving end, it will be more important to maintain a good broadband connection than to have a ridiculously overpowered computer. So not only will the price go down, but they'll last significantly longer (we are talking more than twice as long), which compounds the savings even further.
The drawback is that the savings will be countermanded by broadband and subscription costs. But there will always be those free alternatives to look forward to, with hopefully only a minor advertising inconvenience. Nonetheless, it is exciting to see the changes that are coming, and particularly with respect to the pocket book. So, if you just bought the best cell phone, laptop, computer, et cetera, it may in fact be the last one for quite some time; enjoy it. |
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