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Thank you for your answer. It's a valid example but I guess it doesn't prove the point that the web isn't up to the job of serving applications. Maybe in mobile

Thank you for your answer. It's a valid example but I guess it doesn't prove the point that the web isn't up to the job of serving applications. Maybe in mobile that's true, maybe mobile it's the future. For now I would counterargue that web app market is much bigger than the mobile app market. For whoever downmoded me RTFM: http://paulgraham.com/road.html http://paulgraham.com/road.html. If there is a new road ahead write a new road ahead essay close to that form so I can understand. I won't stand for empty vanguardism.

bonaldi 16y ago
I don't think your lack of understanding entitles you to demand someone write a 2000-word essay for you. But, briefly, many of the points in Road can still be right with the conclusion being wrong. Yes, data is more important than computer, and server-side computation and storage of data etc is increasingly important. But the web as the client interface? Network-aware native apps are trumping all over it. These aren't the desktop apps PG speaks of, they're not shipped in boxes and they're not static. They're downloaded instantly, updated easily, network enabled and fully responsive. Convenience over all is the thing for users, and apps are just more convenient. They don't load themselves from network every time (Gmail, Twitter), they don't have UI elements that fill in slowly as their graphics load over the network (Posterous and a million others), they don't transform without warning (Facebook) and they don't pretend that a way of sharing research papers can support an interactive session without you noticing. As for the size of the Market, I've already spent way more on desktop and mobile software than I've ever spent on Saas/site subscriptions and I don't see that changing. Where there's a native app I'll almost always prefer it. Why? Because native apps are better software; a better experience. And when they're supported by (synced/cached) server-side data (and ideally a fall back to a web client if I find myself at some random terminal somewhere) I get the best of both worlds.
- jacabado 16y ago
  I don't feel entitled to demand anything, I was just asking :).

bonaldi 16y ago

I don't think your lack of understanding entitles you to demand someone write a 2000-word essay for you. But, briefly, many of the points in Road can still be right with the conclusion being wrong. Yes, data is more important than computer, and server-side computation and storage of data etc is increasingly important. But the web as the client interface? Network-aware native apps are trumping all over it. These aren't the desktop apps PG speaks of, they're not shipped in boxes and they're not static. They're downloaded instantly, updated easily, network enabled and fully responsive. Convenience over all is the thing for users, and apps are just more convenient. They don't load themselves from network every time (Gmail, Twitter), they don't have UI elements that fill in slowly as their graphics load over the network (Posterous and a million others), they don't transform without warning (Facebook) and they don't pretend that a way of sharing research papers can support an interactive session without you noticing. As for the size of the Market, I've already spent way more on desktop and mobile software than I've ever spent on Saas/site subscriptions and I don't see that changing. Where there's a native app I'll almost always prefer it. Why? Because native apps are better software; a better experience. And when they're supported by (synced/cached) server-side data (and ideally a fall back to a web client if I find myself at some random terminal somewhere) I get the best of both worlds.

jacabado 16y ago
I don't feel entitled to demand anything, I was just asking :).