Traditional Desktop Application Development

The economy of scale needed to build a traditional desktop application leads to a self-perpetuating cycle of bloat. Because Microsoft Word is used by so many different people, in so many places, and in so many different ways, it has to be packed with every conceivable feature before it can ship. Because desktop applications are so complex, and have to support so much diversity, major upgrades are released infrequently--maybe once every couple years. To justify the effort of an upgrade there has to be a massive market to pay for the work that goes into it. In this way, we all end up paying for features we never use, or even know exist, on behalf of the few people who do need them.

But imagine if Microsoft could offer completely different versions of Excel, slimmed down and customized to every kind of client. Accountants could get a sophisticated version, while I would get a simpler version--perhaps with more formatting options. But such is not to be in the world of desktop applications. The efficiencies of scale do not permit it.

In the world of web apps, anything is possible. A small start up company can build a web app that performs specialized functions for niche markets and still do quite well. The economics of scale, with the simplification of development requirements make slim, niche tools feasible. In fact, the movement in website applications is not toward feature bloat but toward simpler, specialized functionality. If you've been catching any of the buzz around “widgets,” these day, this is exactly the result of paring down of apps into their most basic functions.

For example, consider task management. Instead of using Outlook's task list feature, why not use a simple, web-based to do list? A simple web app would allow me to choose how I access my to-do lists, either as floating desktop widgets, add-ons to my personalized Google Homepage (iGoogle), or embedded in my Facebook page. And web-based task lists open up collaboration opportunities so others can view, edit, or add to my list. Rememberthemilk.com is an example of simple web-based task list application.

The beauty of web-based applications is that they adapt to how I work best. I don't have to adapt to how my applications work best.   next >