The Internet has always been a force in enterprise application strategy, starting with the growing popularity of using a browser as a front-end or thin client for hosted applications. Now we’re starting to see application platforms that can be used to build local, hosted, and cloud applications in any mixture.
These platforms could take enterprise applications to a new level, and also change the way we use the Internet.
There are already four options out there that support the notion of an application platform that looks like a browser app but doesn’t require a browser or the Internet: Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE) AIR, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) Silverlight, IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) Domino, and Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) Fusion. Each of these is a combination of a development tool and a core software library, and with them you can build applications that run online -- or offline when you can’t get online. That could benefit both the enterprise and the Internet.
The whole idea of platforms that converge online and offline experience actually originated on the Internet with AIR and Silverlight. These are essentially GUIs that can be disconnected from the browser to run offline, but they can also both support “components” that add functionality like spreadsheet or word processing support.
These capabilities could let cloud providers build productivity suites that offer some functionality to workers who are offline for a time. But the hosted part of these cloud applications would be built with different tools, so it doubles up development complexity.
Domino and Fusion take a slightly different approach; they are middleware and development tools that can build applications on servers and in the cloud, but can also build components that run on a client system to use when an Internet connection isn’t available.
This process takes more real programming skill, but the vendors offer integrated development tools to help you along. You can build complete business applications with either Domino or Fusion, and you can then host some pieces on the client systems to provide offline functionality.
Domino is a bit more centered on collaboration, while Fusion is more a general software platform, which shows that you can approach application platforms from a horizontal or vertical perspective.
Application platforms could transform how we think of online experiences. Browser-based applications started with a thin-client/thick-server model, but embedded plugins and controls have added more features to the client side over time. Platforms, especially ones like AIR and Silverlight, can promote a model where client and server are more dynamically cooperative, one where users could have some online experiences without being online at all, at least for a short period.
Platforms like Domino and Fusion could create a model for platform-as-a-service cloud computing that would be easier to adopt because the platform contains special features for collaboration or business tools. (Oracle is providing seven such tools with Fusion in its 2010 release.) If applications or components are added to Domino and Fusion to offer strong and consistent GUI support, you could jump-start cloud deployment.
These application platforms may be how public cloud computing services really develop, and their spread may control how fast we get cloud computing. Tools built with them may also be how the Internet copes with issues like application security, identity management, digital rights for content viewing, and offline or stored content.
In short, these platforms may become a key element in our Internet experience and a key component of future cloud applications for the enterprise.
What would seem ideal for users and the Internet would be some marriage of the browser-based and middleware-based tools.
Interested, vendors?
— Tom Nolle, software engineer and founder ofCIMI Corp.
The nice thing about tool-driven models is their ability to continually adapt, and it's even better if the tools themselves are extensible. What has made Internet development so powerful, IMHO, is that combination.
I believe this will take the same process most new technology takes, many early entrepenurial players will jump in (already done), the "big boys" see the value and throw their hat in the ring (happening now), the early players will fall under the aggressive pricing of the big boys and either sell out or close up. The test will be how well the early players can provide quality service and innovation while maintaining competitive pricing structures. Those that survive the shakeout will be some of the best services to use. Of course, this model could change in a couple of years withthenext big thing. . .
Very true; all new tools will present a "value-versus-complexity" trade-off, in much the same way that there's a trade-off between general appliances (PCs, netbooks) and specialized ones (tablets, smartphones, etc). What I would hope would happen is that we would use good general tools to create specialized appliances and applications that would then lower the barriers for use for those users who aren't interested in (or capable of) playing with the more complex stuff.
I think history says that the key issue is making these general tools flexible enough to be capable of adding real value, and just simple enough to support a large and active developer community.
Your discussion introduces issues pertaining to the next phase of our interaction with the Internet. I would think that this would mean we would have more tools at our disposal, but as you rightly hint, this could also increase the complexity of using the tools available.
My hope is that we would develop an effective framework that helps us get the best use of these new trends in Information and Communications Technologies.
You're right, and Gears could be integrated with Android just as easily, and then extended to create a more powerful language. That may well be what Google has in mind; it's been talking up Chrome in the last week and seems to be preparing for some announcement there. If Google can boost the capabilities of Chrome significantly and marry it to Google applications like Wave and Voice, they could generate a very powerful ecosytem that combined hosted and appliance-resident components. That would certainly stick in the craw of Adobe and Microsoft, so they'd be working on their own stuff. In all, we could have a very interesting 2010 from all of this action.
It will be interesting to see how this plays with things like Windows 7 and the cloud computing craze too. The more cloud support there is, the harder it is to differentiate a desktop OS.
great points Tom. One thing I would add to this list is Google gears. As of today, gears is used (to naturally extend browser based applications to work offline) in gmail, reader, picasa and docs. Other non google products is zoho. Ofcourse it is not as extensive list as AIR or Silverlight, but Google does has deep pocket to put up a good fight in this market. Not only because this would give them a foot in the door at enterprises, but also it will make their products like google apps more accessible in situations where there is no internet connection. Yes still there is a vast population that has limited access to internet.
I'm even more excited about the Nook; the larger form factor means there is a lot more that can be done with the device, and it is a demonstration of the flexibility of Android. Think about it; an operating system that can be ported from a server to a phone; that's the ultimate in a flexible platform!
Good call my man... I totally forgot about all of the devices people are using Android for. I'm actually very eager to see how the Droid from Motorola competes with the iPhone.
One thing is for sure... we are living in exciting times!
I think you're right. What smartphones and enterprise-driven development could to is turn the current client-based models like AIR into things that are a bit more general. It's like combining a graphics-based Flash/Flex client with a virtual desktop. This would mean a universal model for accessing applications and services and content all rolled into one.
Adobe and Microsoft both seem to be headed in that direction, and I think it will be interesting to see how much Google decides to do of this in Andriod. Given that Android is a smartphone, netbook, e-reader, and whatever else you want to port it to even today, it is sure a candidate for creating a universal "client-top" device.
I believe we are on the verge of some fantastic developments for applications and these cloud-based services. While AIR, Silverlight, Domino & Fusion are great and fabulous platform, I think the future really lies with those who platform can be accessed anytime, anywhere, from any device.
Recently Adobe announces with the coming release of Flash Player 10.1 & Flash CS5 ActionScript 3.0 developers can create applications that run on any web browser, any desktop, and coming soon... most smartphones: Android, WebOS, Win Mobile, and not to mention being able to develop iPhone apps (not Safari browser (yet). This effectively allows Adobe's ActionScript developers to build applications that run across at least 95% of user devices across the world... Soon the days of having to use one programming language to create an iPhone app, then a different one to build the webapp, and then yet another to build the Blackberry app will be gone.
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