I think it’s great that there are companies using web applications and not requiring me to install yet another application on my laptop. One nice advantage of a web app is that it is a thin client, utilizing my existing browser, allowing the work to be done on a server somewhere else and not on my computer. Properly written, it also allows me access from any internet connected computer. However, if your application only works in one particular browser, then I say phooey to you!
We have one application that only runs on Internet Explorer. It bears mentioning that I am a Mac user, so I can’t just install Internet Explorer. I do have Parallels installed to run any Microsoft apps that come my way, though it turns out the only app I’ve had to run on Windows so far is Internet Explorer! I was expecting to have several applications that I would need to install in Windows, but no, just the web browser. To make things worse, I updated Internet Explorer and then was unable to use the single application I have that depends on that browser and thus had to downgrade. As for one of the advantages of a web app? I hardly think that Windows 7 (since I can’t just install IE on Mac) counts as a thin client. Even if I were still on Windows, I’d prefer to just install an app, rather than relying on a single browser and hoping that one of the many Microsoft OS patches doesn’t affect the usability of such a narrowly defined web application.
Ok, that’s it, I’ll step off my soapbox now and return you to your regularly scheduled programs (which can hopefully run in at least more than one browser). And No Thank You to those of you about to offer me some cheese to go with my whine.
thereedrobins 