I think you misread my comment - obviously hypertext systems are "applications" for some definition of "application" - but there are distinct types, constraints

I think you misread my comment - obviously hypertext systems are "applications" for some definition of "application" - but there are distinct types, constraints and architectures. Mysql and php are not my first choice for creating a multi-player driving game - and even for an irc client they're not my first choice. However, for an asynchronous message board, news or mail client they might be fine.