Are we finally ready for Web Apps?

Things are finally starting to break loose with Web computing. In order to take advantage of the new HTML5 specification users need to be using a ‘modern’ browser. In the past, when Microsoft introduced a new version of Internet Explorer, or Firefox released a new version, programmers had to be happy to wait until the majority of the people surfing the Web voluntarily upgraded to a newer version. But things have changed. Now with both Firefox and Microsoft pushing upgrades to their users, people are adopting the new browsers in record numbers.

And WordPress now has joined the game with their latest release. They are using HTML5 features in their interface now. If you have an older browser you’ll see a big warning when you go to your WordPress dashboard telling you to upgrade to the latest version of your browser.

What does this mean?

It is now possible to start really moving to writing programs as Web apps rather than as the old standard desktop application. And while standard desktop programs will be used by business and consumers for many years to come, there are many programs that are crying out to released as Web apps. The advantages to having a program that you run in your browser (like WordPress does) as opposed to one that runs on your desktop (like Adobe Photoshop does) are huge for the right types of applications.

Look for lots of new and inexpensive programs.

Your life is going to get easier. And so is the life of many programmers. Inexpensive or free programs are going to become more common. The cost of distribution of the programs goes way down. Support issues go way down. Rather than having to write a program that will run on all the different platforms such as Windows, Mac or Linux, a Web app is ubiquitous. It only needs to run on the Web. It won’t matter if you use a Mac or a PC. And it won’t matter if you are sitting at your desk at work or at home, or you are sitting in a coffee shop in Minneapolis. We apps are available wherever you have Internet access. And today that means everywhere, doesn’t it?

The next few years will be very interesting.

I can’t wait for the changes to come. For anyone involved in the Web and working with programs, the Golden Decade is ahead.