I’m a big believer in auto-installable client software but I also want a quality user experience.  For data intensive applications, I want a caching client. I use and love many of browser-hosted clients but, for development work, email clients, and photo editing, I still use installable software. I want a snappy user experience, I need to be able to run disconnected or weakly connected, and I want to fully use my local resources.  Speed and richness is king for these apps – it’s the casual apps that are getting replaced well by browser based software in my world. 

However, I’ve been blown away but how fast the set of applications I’m willing to run in the browser has been expanding. For example, Yahoo Mail impressed me when it came out. Both Google and Live maps are impressive (how can anyone understand and maintain that much JavaScript?).  In fact, in the ultimate compliment, these mapping services are good enough that, even though I have local mapping software installed, I seldom bother to start it.  

Here’s another one that announced last week that is truly impressive: https://www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html.  The Adobe online implementation of Photoshop is an eye opener. Predictably, it’s flash and flex based and, wow, it’s amazing for a within-the-browser experience.  I’m personally still editing my pictures locally but Photoshop Express shows a bit of what’s possible.

                                --jrh

James Hamilton, Windows Live Platform Services
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