James Burgess

Or can you? For a number of years now, we’ve seen how Google (and, more recently, other companies) is fighting against the idea of client-side software, by serving up a delicious selection of server-side “desktop” alternatives, but it’s not all plain sailing. Is the honeymoon period over?

It seems that the marriage made in heaven could be in jeopardy, as we look at Google’s recent mistakes with their applications (such as the recent Personalised Home mistake… [here]). Why are people so scared of client-side applications? I, for one, only use a web-based mail client (in this case, Gmail) because I want to be able to access my mail wherever I am. But a word processor? I’m not sure I quite understand the benefit.

Don’t get me wrong, having a backup plan for when you’re stuck out in some cyber cafe in Outer Mongolia that has no idea what word processor is, you could happily fire up Google Docs (formerly ‘Writely’) and have a whale of a time. But will these web-based apps ever really compete for dominance in the home and business sector? I’m not sure they will… I’m not sure I want them to… Even more of my life controlled by someone else or, worse still, some other corporation.