Is it just me or is the conversation on web applications suddenly reaching critical mass…..again?  I use the term “web applications” with great purpose and intent.  So many people use the buzzwords of the day to gain attention and their definitions keep changing to suit a particular conversation.  “Cloud Computing” became such an expanding target that now it’s definition, according to Wikipedia, is simply “computing, via the Internet, that broadly shares computer resources instead of using software or storage on a local PC”. This is pretty much the same as saying that something ‘tastes like chicken’.  Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle seems to sum it up nicely by in essence saying ‘cloud is the new pink’ (audio after the break).  Oracle has few peers in the business software world, mainly Microsoft and German powerhouse, SAP.

Software as a service (SaaS) can also be misapplied sometimes.  It is a very generic term when you really look at it and break it down.  It is software that is licensed and consumed like a utility or on-demand. The method of delivery and consumption can vary. So, let’s cut through all of the hype, sexy terms, buzzwords and call what I will be talking about and what you want information about by an easily definable term, browser based web applications. Better yet, since browser based and web are somewhat redundant,  just “web applications”.  We can go so far as to call them web apps, but let’s get to know each other before we are so informal.

You very likely have been using some form of web application for a few years now without even realizing it. GMail is a great and simple way to give you an example of a web application.  It is email delivered to you in a web browser.  OK, everyone you have asked has used that example, but do you really know all that you can do from your GMail page?  It isn’t just for reading email.  You can run an entire business from a GMail page if it is set up properly and the business processes aren’t too complex.  In fact, Google is hoping that you will through it’s Google Apps products.  This is the paid version of Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar and other Google productivity tools. Google recently launched the Google Apps Marketplace where tools developed by 3rd parties that integrate with Google Apps can be found and purchased.  This is basically what the iTunes App store is to the iPhone platform.  Some may be good, some may be bad. You can trial some, some you can’t.  The integration can be as simple as sharing your login ID to save one step or full integration with finance and accounting packages.  Integration is, in my opinion, the key to adoption of web applications. Not only with other web applications but with existing software that you already use.

You don’t have to jump into the lake with your business data either.  Try it out with some of the things you do at home. Photo editing (www.picnik.com) , Budgeting and household finance (www.mint.com), To Do Lists (www.rememberthemilk.com) are just a few examples of basic, previously desktop only software tools that are now available as web applications. Are most web applications as robust as their client or desktop based predecessors? No, not yet.  However, it is just a matter of time.  Are you willing to trade off functionality for other things like convenience or cost?  I love to watch my favorite program, 24 on my 42” LCD in HD while in my recliner sipping a tasty adult beverage, but if I am not at home and can watch it the next day online in a lower resolution on my laptop hooked up to airport wi-fi nursing a room temperature Diet Coke, that is where you will find me.

I will address legal specific web applications, security, privacy and compliance in future posts. Even if this was fundamental and very basic to you, I want to set a foundation of what I hope to be a long and fruitful conversation on web applications.