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I hate webapps. What will happen to scripting, application automation? Just have a look, how dumbed down most webapps are when compared to their desktop parts o

by zmix 8y ago

I hate webapps. What will happen to scripting, application automation? Just have a look, how dumbed down most webapps are when compared to their desktop parts or similare programs as desktop version.

msla 8y ago
People say the same things about GUI desktop apps being dumbed-down versions of command line utilities and tool ecologies. Command line tools are still here, and we have more of them compared to the Old Days; it seems focusing entirely on the newest thing provides a skewed view of the totality of what's available, as pre-existing technologies tend to not only not go away entirely, but continue to evolve. (I wonder if anyone thought command lines were dumbed-down versions of punch-card batch setups.)
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  It was either Diajkstra or Hoare who supposedly lamented programming students not being as careful when they got to use a terminal rather than punch cards. Web apps, however, tend to have fewer features and are more limited than desktop apps. Their only advantage being the ability to run in a web browser.
fsloth 8y ago
There is a large category of users, for whom effortless access through a browser offers great value. For example, in the AEC industry there are lot of roles where one needs to access the 3D model for review purposes and not modeling itself. For these roles a webapp that is quick to open offers actual value (and is not just a cheap gimmick from the vendor).
godzillabrennus 8y ago
I hate desktop applications. They take a long time to install, they have local file storage that requires me to spend time backing the data up, they eat up disk space on my computer system, they aren't accessible to me if I need to use another computer system, they need to be manually patched and updated, and if I am dependent on them they could restrict my choice of operating system on my desktop. Web apps aren't perfect either but they have a lot of value to offer users.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- pjmlp 8y ago
  The cloud is someone's else computer. I like to have my stuff on my computer.

by zmix 8y ago

I hate webapps. What will happen to scripting, application automation? Just have a look, how dumbed down most webapps are when compared to their desktop parts or similare programs as desktop version.

msla 8y ago

People say the same things about GUI desktop apps being dumbed-down versions of command line utilities and tool ecologies. Command line tools are still here, and we have more of them compared to the Old Days; it seems focusing entirely on the newest thing provides a skewed view of the totality of what's available, as pre-existing technologies tend to not only not go away entirely, but continue to evolve. (I wonder if anyone thought command lines were dumbed-down versions of punch-card batch setups.)

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
It was either Diajkstra or Hoare who supposedly lamented programming students not being as careful when they got to use a terminal rather than punch cards. Web apps, however, tend to have fewer features and are more limited than desktop apps. Their only advantage being the ability to run in a web browser.

fsloth 8y ago

There is a large category of users, for whom effortless access through a browser offers great value. For example, in the AEC industry there are lot of roles where one needs to access the 3D model for review purposes and not modeling itself. For these roles a webapp that is quick to open offers actual value (and is not just a cheap gimmick from the vendor).

godzillabrennus 8y ago

I hate desktop applications. They take a long time to install, they have local file storage that requires me to spend time backing the data up, they eat up disk space on my computer system, they aren't accessible to me if I need to use another computer system, they need to be manually patched and updated, and if I am dependent on them they could restrict my choice of operating system on my desktop. Web apps aren't perfect either but they have a lot of value to offer users.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
pjmlp 8y ago
The cloud is someone's else computer. I like to have my stuff on my computer.