Web 2.0. WEB 2.0 (Personal Broadcast Networks) is starting to get some traction.  Adam Bosworth (the CTO of BEA) is writing extensively about the Web Services Browser and Kevin Lynch (CSA at Macromedia) has written a white paper on rich Flash applications that utilize Web Services (he calls them Rich Internet Applications).  Each takes a different approach to solving the same thing:  how to build new client (desktop PC) software that realizes the vision of Web 2.0?

What is Web 2.0?  It is a system that breaks with the old model of centralized Web sites and moves the power of the Web/Internet to the desktop.  It includes three structural elements:  1) a source of content, data, or functionality (a website, a Web service, a desktop PC peer), 2) an open system of transport (RSS, XML-RPC, SOAP, P2P, and too an extent IM), and 3) a rich client (desktop software).  Basically, Web 2.0 puts the power of the Internet in the hands of the desktop PC user where it belongs. 

So far, we have made excellent progress on the first two elements necessary for Web 2.0, yet the remaining element has undergone an abortive development path.  The primary reason for this is due to Microsoft's dominance of the browser market which has resulted in stasis.  Additionally, both VCs and developers have been frozen in fear of fighting Microsoft on the desktop.  Regardless, the Web 2.0 desktop applications I had hoped for years ago haven't arrived in sufficient numbers.  Fortunately, the tide is about to shift.

Three development paths are now in contention.  The first is a desktop Web site approach (Radio).  A second is an enhanced browser method (Flash, see picture).  A third is a custom desktop application (.Net and nifty custom apps like Brent's NetNewsWire).  I suspect that all three approaches will gain traction over the next couple of years, but my personal preference (for a myriad of reasons) is to put a CMS (Web site content management system) on the desktop and leverage the limitations of the browser to provide an enhanced experience.  This makes it possible for a seamless transition for users from the Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.  Regardless, it is extremely nice to see motion.

Note: I changed the name of this post to Web 2.0 to make it more understandable. [John Robb's Weblog]

3:43:46 PM    

Note:  to publish any PowerPoint or Word doc to my Radio weblog, all I have to do is save the file as a Web page to Radio's WWW folder.  In a couple seconds, the files are uploaded.  I click on the link for the uploaded document in Radio's "events" page (on the main menu) and it takes me to the link I can use in my weblog.  Simple.  Given that the doc is both on my desktop and up at my site, I get an automatic back-up as part of the process. [John Robb's Weblog]

3:43:21 PM    

What is the feng shui for a Web site or a desktop user interface? [John Robb's Weblog]

3:41:58 PM