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I think the current popularity of web apps over desktop apps is driven by two different motivating factors: social and centralized storage. The nature of the W

I think the current popularity of web apps over desktop apps is driven by two different motivating factors: social and centralized storage. The nature of the Web makes it well suited to building social apps on top of it. It would be hard to build social apps on an application layer that didn’t transcend physical platforms, because then there would be platform-induced delineations between the social groups that could congregate. But the other motivating factor is that web apps by definition are a centralized container for the data you put into them. You use Freshbooks and you can access your invoices from anywhere. I think this will become far less important as cloud-storage-on-the-desktop services like iCloud mature and largely eliminate this advantage of web apps. Given this, don’t you think think we’ll actually start seeing a resurgence of non-social desktop apps that would previously have been built on the Web for centralized storage reasons?

simonw 15y ago
Web apps beat native apps because there's no install step, no upgrade step and hyperlinks provide the ultimate way for different apps to communicate with each other.
- ryanhuff 15y ago
  Agreed, but I would generalize it a bit more and say that web apps reduced the barrier to consumption considerably over desktop applications. In most cases, mobile apps are close enough to web apps in regards to barrier of consumption to make the difference moot, and when you add the native advantage, the result is a net positive consumer experience for mobile apps.
- cft 15y ago
  install once is often easier than navigating to a URL on a phone each time. Many users like apps due to one click launch
  - icebraining 15y ago
    When you find a web app you like, you can put it front and center on your Home screen. Just open the web app on your iPhone or iPod touch, tap the plus sign, and then tap “Add to Home screen.” A Web Clip will be added to your Home screen automatically for easy, one-tap access. http://www.apple.com/webapps/whatarewebapps.html http://www.apple.com/webapps/whatarewebapps.html
    - cft 15y ago
      not sure about android, and 80% of users will not do this (like they do not use bookmarklets). Also many web apps require you to re-login after a certain period, which adds even more pain compared to apps.
      - bphogan 15y ago
        "many web apps" do. But they don't have to. That's a choice the developer makes. That's super easy to fix, too.
  - soonisnow 15y ago
    Agreed. Like Google+ and gTalk etc? This is clearly the UX standard ahead yes?
- cageface 15y ago
  Web apps are fine for lightweight, data-driven tasks. For tasks that require richer interactions they are still decidedly inferior. This may change as HTML standards and compliance evolve but it's not crazy to suggest that a well-written native app will always be one or two steps ahead.
  - icebraining 15y ago
    The question is: besides games, how many apps really use richer interactions than what's already possible using web technologies?
    - cageface 15y ago
      All multimedia content creation apps. Think DJ apps, music creation, audio editing, video editing, 3d modeling, image editing and illustration, etc. Basically everything that makes computers creative tools instead of information management devices. I don't see web versions of any of these seriously challenging native any time soon. Hell, even spreadsheets and word processors are still better in native. I don't understand why this has to be an either-or thing. I know it's easier for us to think in black and white terms but I don't see why web and native can't coexist for a long time.
      - icebraining 15y ago
        Those are all desktop apps, though. Mobile apps - like the ones referred to by the article - are rarely for content creation.
        cageface 15y ago
        Not yet, but these things are converging. There are already fledgling implementations of a lot of these tools available for iPads.
      - minikomi 15y ago
        From your comment it becomes clear: At the moment "web" is primarily a data display platform. Not surprising, given its pedigree. Input techniques are quite limited... Especially responsive ones we've become used to on mobile. Sounds like a good project to work on..
- thom 15y ago
  There _is_ an install step to almost all web apps, and it generally involves having to fill out a boring form, clicking through from a confirmation email, and trying to remember a username and password every week for the rest of the app's useful life.
  - jarek 15y ago
    This is unique to applications that wish to store users' data in a central location.
    - thom 15y ago
      I suspect we have different definitions of 'unique' and/or 'application', because this sounds to me like someone saying the need for tyres is unique to cars that have wheels.
      - jarek 15y ago
        Perhaps. Do you consider a Paint or Paint.NET clone to be an application? A calculator? A clock/weather app? A game where you throw birds at pigs? These are all samples of potentially native applications that do not require login and can be implemented as web pages. How about services that already require you have an account? You have to log into a Twitter or Facebook or Linkedin client even if you install it as a native application.
        thom 15y ago
        I don't care that native apps require work to install. We've already accepted that as a premise. What I'm saying is that web apps have setup costs too, and therefore saying you don't have to install them is disingenuous. If all you require to get through the day is an online paint clone, a calculator, a clock/weather app and a game where you throw birds at pigs, more power to you - I'm glad you've been able to shave a few seconds off your day.

simonw 15y ago

Web apps beat native apps because there's no install step, no upgrade step and hyperlinks provide the ultimate way for different apps to communicate with each other.

ryanhuff 15y ago
Agreed, but I would generalize it a bit more and say that web apps reduced the barrier to consumption considerably over desktop applications. In most cases, mobile apps are close enough to web apps in regards to barrier of consumption to make the difference moot, and when you add the native advantage, the result is a net positive consumer experience for mobile apps.
cft 15y ago
install once is often easier than navigating to a URL on a phone each time. Many users like apps due to one click launch
- icebraining 15y ago
  When you find a web app you like, you can put it front and center on your Home screen. Just open the web app on your iPhone or iPod touch, tap the plus sign, and then tap “Add to Home screen.” A Web Clip will be added to your Home screen automatically for easy, one-tap access. http://www.apple.com/webapps/whatarewebapps.html http://www.apple.com/webapps/whatarewebapps.html
  - cft 15y ago
    not sure about android, and 80% of users will not do this (like they do not use bookmarklets). Also many web apps require you to re-login after a certain period, which adds even more pain compared to apps.
    - bphogan 15y ago
      "many web apps" do. But they don't have to. That's a choice the developer makes. That's super easy to fix, too.
- soonisnow 15y ago
  Agreed. Like Google+ and gTalk etc? This is clearly the UX standard ahead yes?
cageface 15y ago
Web apps are fine for lightweight, data-driven tasks. For tasks that require richer interactions they are still decidedly inferior. This may change as HTML standards and compliance evolve but it's not crazy to suggest that a well-written native app will always be one or two steps ahead.
- icebraining 15y ago
  The question is: besides games, how many apps really use richer interactions than what's already possible using web technologies?
  - cageface 15y ago
    All multimedia content creation apps. Think DJ apps, music creation, audio editing, video editing, 3d modeling, image editing and illustration, etc. Basically everything that makes computers creative tools instead of information management devices. I don't see web versions of any of these seriously challenging native any time soon. Hell, even spreadsheets and word processors are still better in native. I don't understand why this has to be an either-or thing. I know it's easier for us to think in black and white terms but I don't see why web and native can't coexist for a long time.
    - icebraining 15y ago
      Those are all desktop apps, though. Mobile apps - like the ones referred to by the article - are rarely for content creation.
      - cageface 15y ago
        Not yet, but these things are converging. There are already fledgling implementations of a lot of these tools available for iPads.
    - minikomi 15y ago
      From your comment it becomes clear: At the moment "web" is primarily a data display platform. Not surprising, given its pedigree. Input techniques are quite limited... Especially responsive ones we've become used to on mobile. Sounds like a good project to work on..
thom 15y ago
There _is_ an install step to almost all web apps, and it generally involves having to fill out a boring form, clicking through from a confirmation email, and trying to remember a username and password every week for the rest of the app's useful life.
- jarek 15y ago
  This is unique to applications that wish to store users' data in a central location.
  - thom 15y ago
    I suspect we have different definitions of 'unique' and/or 'application', because this sounds to me like someone saying the need for tyres is unique to cars that have wheels.
    - jarek 15y ago
      Perhaps. Do you consider a Paint or Paint.NET clone to be an application? A calculator? A clock/weather app? A game where you throw birds at pigs? These are all samples of potentially native applications that do not require login and can be implemented as web pages. How about services that already require you have an account? You have to log into a Twitter or Facebook or Linkedin client even if you install it as a native application.
      - thom 15y ago
        I don't care that native apps require work to install. We've already accepted that as a premise. What I'm saying is that web apps have setup costs too, and therefore saying you don't have to install them is disingenuous. If all you require to get through the day is an online paint clone, a calculator, a clock/weather app and a game where you throw birds at pigs, more power to you - I'm glad you've been able to shave a few seconds off your day.