Comments on: Web Applications Reset the Playing Field

By: Sahil

Sahil — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:10:40 +0000

This is very true. SaaS seems very logical at the present moment when broadband is everywhere, people are working virtually and are mobile. Why would a business pay hundreds of dollars to buy software when they can rent it for a small monthly fee?

SaaS is here to stay.

Sahil
Founder, DeskAway.com

By: neildonald

neildonald — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:03:46 +0000

Hi maximus, i had a look at the demo on sliderocket and it looks a really cool piece of software capable of producing better looking presentations than powerpoint and all it’s clones. The collaboration features also seem impressive. In fact, I’ll probably use it for next presentation. I’m intruiged that you menion many of the online apps have offline counterparts and this would go some way to challenging my general reservations.

However I’m not moved to change my mind about the likely adoption of these applications. Most regular folk go to the local computer superstore and buy a mediocre PC with a mediocre productivty suite like MS Works on it. They type the odd letter and maybe do the odd bit of homework. They send and receive emails using a mediocre email client like Outlook Express, browse the internet with a mediocre browser like IE.

I would like to challenge this but ultimately most regular folk are blind to this mediocrity as what they have is good enough. I can’t see any significant driver for the paradigm shift which the move to cloud computing. Unfortunatly just becuase something is better than the alternatives doesn’t mean that it “wins” – eg Betamax, Minidisk, HD-DVD and so on.

By: Maximus

Maximus — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:59:49 +0000

@neildonald – The next wave of innovation in productivity apps is here and it’s online. MS Office hasn’t changed that much since 1982 and all they’re promising in the next release is more ribbons (which many people dislike). Online Apps like SlideRocket let you streamline your workflow by giving you immediate access to both free and paid content online that you can quickly integrate into your presentation, let you tie in dynamic data to your slides so your content refreshes automatically, let you extend the app with plug-ins, let you collaborate easily with your colleagues, let you centrally manage a library of presentations and assets for your organization in a secure location that is backed up and archived (and has version control) rather than on your laptop which probably has none of those. You also don’t have to wait 18 months to two years for the next release, new features are available regularly. Many of the online apps also have offline counterparts to let you sync your content as needed, I could go on. Even Microsoft agrees that online is the future by offering software + “services” in the next release. It’s time to wake up and try some online apps, you might like it.

By: neildonald

neildonald — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:47:49 +0000

Can’t agree with much that people have said here. I see little in the way of tangible benefits in using cloud apps to the majority of end users. It seems that huge sums are being spent on making web apps as good as desktop counterparts? But why? You can buy a netbook for £/$200 which is more portable, convenient, responsive and featured than any cloud service ever will be. For home users, TCO isn’t even on the radar and most rational businesses wouldn’t dream of using a cloud service for general tasks like word processing and spreadsheet because desktop model works, is inexpensive and reliable. I’m not completely blind to the benefits of SaaS.

As for the diskless notebook, well Thin Clients have been around for ages and perhaps this is stumbling towards what I think the future is. Rather than try and contort html, javascript and web server scripts to impersonate an OS, there is more mileage in offering an internet hosted windows-based virtual PC over RDP or ICA. Renting a hosted windows desktop and storage with a choice of apps in a fully managed, patched and secure environment sounds better to me.

By: Raja Sekharan

Raja Sekharan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:38:27 +0000

@halfasleeps,

You will be buying personal space on a ‘cloud’. Your computer will connect to the cloud every time you switch it on and boot over the network. You can access your personal workspace along with all its settings from anybody’s computer.

By: bpeh

bpeh — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:04:10 +0000

I think we still need to give at least 5-10 yrs before RIA becomes truly popular. To beat MS Office or photoshop is easier said that done unless microsoft or adobe decide to develop the online version themselves…. but even then, the internet connection has to be super duper fast esp for heavy apps.

By: halfasleeps

halfasleeps — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:18:58 +0000

My prediction – in 5 years laptops will no longer reguire hard drives.

Then where will your OS be installed? as firmware? no thanks.

By: Jijesh Devan

Jijesh Devan — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:10:20 +0000

Josh, as a SaaS evangelist working for QLogitek, a SaaS supply chain solutions provider to retailers, I agree with your views broadly. I think the big difference between SaaS model and it's competing on-premise model for enterprises are few: 1)SaaS is a multi-tenant delivery model that provides stellar service at 2)low capital investment while ensuring a 3) overall lower total cost of ownership. I am very optimistic that SaaS will become (more) mainstream in the consumer and enterprise software market.

By: iron60

iron60 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:08:28 +0000

I agree that cloud based apps will become the next generation mode for computer work. I have been using Google Docs for over a year now and while I don’t get the same features as Word, there are some shining positives – collaboration, & storage specifically. As one who has lost data more than once, it’s nice to know that Google is responsible for mine… I have more confidence in them than I do in myself! And as a traveler, it’s great to not have to rely on flash drives anymore. My prediction – in 5 years laptops will no longer reguire hard drives.

By: Josh Catone

Josh Catone — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:17:23 +0000

@Anonymous: I was speaking more generally when I said that the conclusion, so not every point is pertinent to every example. But in a way, I think that yes, many people — especially in the enterprise — do say that. I think a lot of people buy features they never even use and don’t realize they don’t use them until they try an alternative that nixes the unnecessary bits. The main point of my post was that because web apps and SaaS is starting to take off and be accepted by both mainstream and enterprise consumers as a legitimate way to purchase software, there now exist more opportunities for those alternatives to compete.