Business Experience Open Sourcing Code

Well hello everyone from lxer and rootly. My weblogs tell me there are a lot of linux enthusiasts in many countries reading blogs on New Years Eve. Don't you all have anything better to do? :)

But while I have your attention, I do have a question: What are the common characteristics of successful open source software projects? How about ones that are incorporated into proprietary profit driven products?

The Background

I run a little project management company here in Washington State. You might know something about my neighbor in Redmond. We write TeamDirection Project, they write MS Project. We do some nice things in my little shop, but one thing we would never be able to do is compete with Microsoft on a feature by feature basis-- only a handful of companies even have the resources to contemplate such a thing.

However, one can't help but marvel at the power and energy harnessed by the Linux community to create a truly great operating system. The Apache Group also comes to mind for an open source effort that many programmers from every corner of the earth participate in. And more recently the Mozilla group developing Firefox.

There are so many things I'd like to do with this piece of code, and so little time and even fewer developers. Open source has this appeal of, somehow (worry about the details later, right?), bringing a critical mass of talented developers together to improve your product for free. Sounds even better than outsourcing! :)

The one common denominator among the aforementioned is each one has a significant backer with *very* deep pockets: IBM backing Linux and Apache, Google backing Firefox.

The Question Rephrased

So the question is really: Do you need a big backer to make an open source project successful these days? Or would a charismatic leader, someone of Linus Torvalds ilk, be enough to get the ball rolling and hope for the best?

I say this because I've been debating opening our scheduling engine to open source. But it seems like it would be such a shot in the dark, that so far I haven't been able to see the benefits for the loss of intellectual property and loss of goodwill with Microsoft and Microsoft partners (Linux doesn't quite have the partner channel Microsoft does, or I'm not aware of it).

So for now my thoughts are to keep our project scheduling engine in-house, but I'm open to examples of reasonably successful applications built on open source-- other than Linux, Apache and Firefox.

Can I Toot My Own Horn Yet?

It's not even 2007 yet and already one of my predictions (#6) seems to be coming true.

Michael Arrington over at TechCrunch has just picked up on Blake Ross's blog post questioning Google's latest feature, and weighs in with insight of his own.

Actually, can I take credit if Google starts losing its shine at the end of 2006? I hope so.

If you combine this with my #8 prediction (purchase, download and watch a movie via my broadband connection) I have an excellent shot to be 2 for 10!

Red Hat Might Just Be Getting Serious

I admit it. I've always discounted Red Hat a little bit-- like the kid down the street you have fixed in your mind as perpetually 10 years old. Until he looks you in the eye and says 'Hello' in a baritone.

Such is the state of affairs with their last earnings report.

The Oracle announcement was supposed to do this. The Microsoft/Novell pact was supposed to do that. All Red Hat did was execute, execute and execute.

What immediately came to mind is Red Hat actually might turn into a major player in any brewing OS war/evolution. There's been a bevy of speculation over at ReadWriteWeb about Google producing some sort of GoogleOS.

I do not agree Google would want to wade into the OS game, but perhaps they would consider throwing their weight behind Red Hat. Google's weight is considerable. If Red Hat, as they have just shown, has the momentum... who knows.

I wonder if I should amend my predictions.

New Release Posted

We just posted a nice update to our TeamDirection Project 2007-- just in time for Christmas (I think it'll make a *great* stocking stuffer :).

We fixed over 40 bugs of varying severity, and included a couple feature requests. Bugzilla is our bug tracker of choice, and here's the delta:

2190	nor	P3	Wind	VERI	FIXE	It is only possible to insert tasks above from the right ...
2092	nor	P3	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Unsharing and sharing a project to the same SP site will ...
2108	nor	P3	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Tasks with IW don't get pushed out far enough when linking
2114	nor	P3	Wind	VERI	FIXE	IW causes backward links when removed
2551	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Thing2 should update task durations for MindManager
2579	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Exporting with MM closed will still export the project
2580	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Wrong message when trying to export the project with no M...
2600	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	MS Project export doesn't close wizard when done
2609	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Trying to notify members from Share Wizard with no Outloo...
2614	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	3.1 project with no resources or links fail to import
2615	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Implement 'Publish Summary Task' option
2564	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Sharing on SP site with members will always ask to 'Map c...
2566	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Release version appears expired after upgrading from Beta...
2575	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	If breaking link with MS Project or MM file, project stay...
2578	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Tab Control needs to update Go To Task when swi...
2581	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	There is no "open task list" option in Member Pane in Plu...
2587	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	'Copy Task' should probably be enabled for projects in lo...
2591	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	'I want to buy a license' in activation dialog should ope...
2597	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Undo doesn't work in any Linked mode
2598	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Cannot edit Date2 field from task information dialog whil...
2603	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Arrows keys in Project Save dialog are backward
2606	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	'Go to task ..' counting tasks wrong in projects with sum...
2608	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Need to hide Map Tab in Resource management dialog window
2618	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Custom Resources that contains only numbers are align to ...
2619	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Able to select several resources in Reassign tab
2620	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Trying to reassign Me when there is no other members caus...
2623	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	In Members list project creator appears with Groove bubbl...
2626	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Trying to click 'Go to task' for the summary task giving ...
1437	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	'Schedule a meeting' option is available when no Outlook ...
2542	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Updating marks unchanged project as unread
2612	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Can't open project linked to a MS project with an excepti...
2617	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Publish Summary task check box in SW doesn't work
2625	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Workspace members stays in members list after unsharing
2582	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Projects can be dragged/dropped onto Search folders.
2583	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	App does not recover from deleted project
2593	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Yes in 'Want to activate?' dialog when 1 day left doesn't...
2594	nor	P1	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Able to work with Plus edition after activating standard ...
2599	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Error occurs when updating dirty linked MS Project file
2602	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Task dependencies not getting exported to MS Project
2613	nor	P2	Wind	VERI	FIXE	Help>About for Plus does not say Plus

Phew, that was a lot of work! I hope you enjoy it and have a great holiday.

Ten Predictions

Now that the storm of 2006 has passed, its time to welcome 2007. In the spirit of ReadWriteWeb, I offer 10 mostly web related technology predictions:

1) One of Microsoft's top 10 revenue apps will succumb to a competitor-- and not a big one.

2) A mobile application will crack the monthly top 20 for software sold.

3) A new 'solution' will appear successfully combining desktop, web and mobile. iTunes was the first of these types of apps, but with a specific mobile component (made by Apple). Maybe its a successful implementation of Adobe Flash or Apollo's coming out party. Maybe its a broad solution tailored for specific roles each user assumes as part of a larger problem. What it will do is offer a blueprint for how companies can tie three related pieces (desktop, web and mobile) together.

4) BitTorrent will get a distribution deal from a movie studio.

5) Microsoft Live will do better than people anticipate and put significant pressure on Google.

6) Google will lose its 'do no wrong' halo (Note, this does not mean Google will go broke or somehow fail to make tons and tons of money-- just lose a little Goodwill).

7) Hospitals and clinics will start investing in IT and Electronic Medical Records in a big way as a way to combat soaring healthcare costs.

8) I will purchase, download and watch a movie via my broadband connection.

9) iTunes will be licensed to a media company or consortium.

10) ClearWire WiMax will be adopted by several municipalities and put pressure on DSL and Cable broadband.

Bonus Prediction: Social metaphors will become more and more available in all types of apps-- consumer, business, scientific-- as people look for ways to establish connections beyond the TCP/IP stack and put faces, names and personal information on the other end of the web line.

Meet back in 365 days!

A New Perspective on Christmas Lights

It's been a fun few days here in the Pacific Northwest. A major storm blew through the entire region Dec. 14th and took down lots of trees, poles and power lines. As utility crews have struggled for the past few days to restore power (and I wish I could thank every crew member personally for their hard work and dedication!), you start noticing things that rub you the wrong way.

Like Christmas Lights.

My wife and I enjoy a particular holiday ritual around the lights people like to put on the exterior of their houses to show their holiday cheer. She wonders aloud over several days what it would take for one of us to hang up some lights. I wonder aloud about our lengthy list of ToDos-- and lately I've been finding particularly good success by bringing up Christmas gifts for the kids. My neighbor even got in the act this year by hanging lights of his own. It was a pitched battle until last Thursday when it all became moot.

As power is coming back online, so are the Christmas lights. I walk my dog every day and with each passing day more houses again have power, and more happy blinking porches and eaves are piercing December's gloom. But the electrical insouciance seems to be having the opposite effect on me.

We have a happy conceit that we are above Nature, which is fine as long as we seem to be. However, I've noticed our darkest hours are when Nature blithely intrudes on our stagecraft. While Seattle, and the entire Northwest, was socked by a storm, were conditions really so grave as to warrant fighting at gas stations or robbing houses in unlit blocks like my neighbors?

'Oh, this was like Katrina!'

As a measure of the storm's power, not at all-- the scale was completely different. While I may have a better understanding of unsettledness-- of moving from house house to keep my kids warm-- I fully expect my power to be on shortly and life to continue quite nicely after this hiccup.

As a measure of our conceit, inattentiveness and complacency, then sure, I'm up for a comparison. I've lived all my life in the Northwest and while this storm may be unusual, its very common-- even predictable. You don't have to go back very far to read well documented storms of yore with similar outcomes.

For instance, we had a 'famous' Columbus Day Storm back in 1962. As people compare this storm to that one the thing I notice is all the utility trucks repairing the damage look like they are from the 1960s themselves.

It's all about priorities. Schools versus Sports Stadiums. Transportation versus Development. Urban versus Suburban versus Exurban. 1950s and 1960s infrastructure versus the needs of the 21st century....

Oh wait, the lights are on. There's still time for me to hang some Christmas Lights this year.

Update Release Shortly

We're going through testing right now preparing a release addressing bugs and some new features.

Thanks for your feedback!

It means so much to us as we make TeamDirection Project a world class product. Speaking of world class, we're getting so much interest from Russia that there could be a Russian version coming soon! And yes, we do have plans for other languages too. French and German will most likely be next.

I would also very much like to do a Japanese version. In fact, if you're a reseller in Japan and are able to help us with translation, please contact me.

Back to the bug fixes and features...

Bug fixes:

1) TeamDirection wasn't handling some of the add-on business templates for SharePoint from Microsoft very well, so we've improved this.

2) We had an issue with imported custom resources causing problems with SharePoint synchronization. This has been fixed.

3) We had an issue with vacation days in MS Project files. This has been fixed.

Enhancements:

1) One user requested that we NOT publish summary tasks to SharePoint since it can add many more tasks to the list. We heard him and we agreed. There is now a checkbox when you publish tasks asking if you want to publish summary tasks too. The default is not to publish summary tasks.

Why would you want to publish summary tasks? We've seen projects that are mini-workflows where the tasks is a repetitive function and the summary task gives it context. For instance, the summary task might be 'Update Website' and the subtask is 'Copy Files'. Then the next summary task is 'Update Internal Server' and the subtask is 'Copy Files'. That kind of thing.

2) Presence information is now in the resources lists. This aligns better with our philosophy of turning resources back into real people. As such, you can see when real people are online.

We should have this update on our website early next week. Again, thanks for the feedback! We're happy to respond, both in writing and in product.

And we should have a nifty 'sneak preview' of something else we're working on soon. What is it? Get ready to head to BaseCamp :)

TeamDirection a Mindjet Partner

It's always exciting when you meet someone new. I can't speak for Mindjet, but I'm exicited!

We just became a bona fide partner today. If you haven't seen our nifty MindManager demo, check it out. If you want more information on our integration, go here.

There's a full benefits/features list available on the integration page, but the one I think is most important is now MindManager can be involved in your projects from beginning to end-- TeamDirection keeps it in the loop!

This means people who like their maps can keep them. Conceptualize your project with MindManager, let TeamDirection know about it and TeamDirection will keep that original map updated! If its on a network, then everyone can see the project execute from the comfort of their maps.

Its one way we are providing the right tools for the right people. Task information is more mobile than ever now!

IE 49, Firefox 38

I was looking at my traffic log today and noticed Firefox showing up alot. So I went to my stats:



I wondered if this was skewed toward an international audience, which might be using Firefox more than IE. But not so much:



Now I normally don't get 11 hits from Uganda in a week, much less a couple hours, so its very possible this is a silly sample. (The hits from Uganda were all IE 6, by the way)

However, what I am thinking about is the next applications we will write and how web-based we should make it (answer: very). So I start looking at browser statistics. I know there are a several reputable sites sharing statistics, but I wonder what the blogosphere composite IE/Firefox ratio would look like?

It should track to what the accepted ratio is, but does it? I'd love to know what everyone's 'Last Hundred' browser list looks like.

.NET Click Once can Learn Something from a Web Browser

In my day job I get to write software and try to run a company. When I moonlight, I get to be a pundit. It's really quite fun-- while scurrying about the code preparing for a release I use one side of my brain. Once the release is out, I start writing and hopefully use the other side of my brain.

In this post I'll try to use both sides of my brain to support an argument I've presented over at Read/WriteWeb. Its a two-part article that basically states Microsoft holds all the cards for capturing the next generation of computing platform, IFF they can get past themselves and improve .NET just a little bit. That is, take a cue from what makes web applications great, apply it to the .NET framework and make rich applications great again.

The article points out how .NET can be improved, but several people claim .NET already has the feature I have in mind. I claim .NET has the marketing checkbox for the feature I have in mind, but not an actual, usable implementation of it. The market must think so to, because up to now 'Smart Clients' have gone nowhere.

When you build a web page, you write the html and include references to things that help you present a page: an image here, a nifty javascript widget there and a form button yonder. What you don't have to do is compile and link everything together-- the browser does it for you. Better yet, it uses the client machine to make smart choices about what to cache and what to update. Very rarely do you need to download all the pieces comprising a web app at one time again.

And when you need to download some pieces, you never see this:



or this:



This is the advantage web browsers and web apps enjoy over desktop apps today. The current solutions I've seen are not transparent. They involve checking for updated install files, which tend to be large for desktop apps, and reinstalling newer setup.exe packages.

I'd rather it be behind the scense and done piecemeal the web way. Two rules:

• Don't Bug The User -- they don't care they are downloading updates to the app
• Don't Bug The User -- they don't care they are reinstalling an app

When I make a change to a web application, everyone gets the updates on their next page refresh without any proclamations or calls to action. .NET apps, if they want to be smart, should do the same.

Obviously there are many ways to solve this problem, so this is just an example.

A .NET app still goes through two steps in order to run: compilation and linkage. After compilation, all the component parts of a .NET app are laid out as object files in a directory structure. Usually these object files are quite small. Then the linker performs the final assembly and produces a larger output-- executables or libraries.

What if, for deployment purposes, the linkage step is not done on a build machine, but on a clients computer? What if, when starting a .NET app, a 'smart linker' is used to check for updates by making HTTP requests once in a while to all the objects files referenced on a deployment server somewhere? Then, if it finds an object file or two has been updated, it pulls down a couple kilobytes of data, links it into the app and runs.

Then the next time user with a problem runs the app, they see the problem has been fixed and they write me a note saying, 'Thanks for fixing the problem'.

As a rich application developer and publisher, I want that.

Comparing Project Server and TeamDirection Project 2007

And this would be elephant number two in the room. While I could blithely write how we do this and how project server does that and we both do the online web-based project thing in perfect harmony....

I would be lying.

OK, I admit it. TeamDirection Plus 2007 is providing a nice, simple way to connect your MS Project projects to MS SharePoint. Project Server does it by requiring several components, lots of consulting time and training. We do it by selling TeamDirection Project Plus 2007 for $549.

For that price you get:

1. A desktop app your project manager can install and start sharing tasks in 5 minutes or less.
2. A flexible bidirectional synchronization that updates data from MS Project to SharePoint, and from SharePoint to MS Project with one click.
   
3. The ability to not only share entire projects, but parts of a project. Have a project with 1,000 tasks but only want to share 100 of them? We can do that.
4. Rich integration with a great project conceptualization-- Mindjet MindManager-- and a cutting edge collaboration tool-- MS Groove 2007.
5. Multiple project view letting you see many projects at once in a grid and gantt. And foldering to let your organize your projects.
   
6. A nice UI, integrated Instant Messaging, Resource that can not only be assigned to tasks but also inherit their permissions from SharePoint or Groove, simple costing and more...
   

Normally I wouldn't point out in my blog where we compete with Microsoft-- I am in Seattle after all. But really, there's lots of companies that both compete and partner with them. We are no different. For instance, as I mentioned, we also talk to MS Groove 2007-- one of the first companies to do so. We've leveraged our rich history with Groove and its Project Edition and created an excellent solution for the next generation.

In fact, I can make a claim: TeamDirection Project 2007 is the only project application in the world that lets you share MS Project plans with SharePoint and Groove. Hopefully that makes the SharePoint and Groove groups at Microsoft happy. I even think it will make members of the Project team happy because it gives smaller companies-- and departments within large companies-- more flexibility and power for project managers to use the richness of MS Project and the distribution of SharePoint and Groove.

And if they see a grumpy member from the Project Server team, tell him or her its ok to share.

Comparing MS Project and TeamDirection Project

Now that we've released TeamDirection Project, it's time to answer the elephant in the room: How does TeamDirection Project compare to Microsoft Project?

Well, we do pair a task grid on the left with a gantt chart on the right. And I personally think TeamDirection Project is much prettier. But really, our focus is on the small to medium business, 5 - 50 employees, that would like an easy way to structure, schedule and share projects in a team environment.

When you don't have limitless resources, you need the right tool for the job. You can't give everyone a scalpel and expect surgery to be successful. You don't give everyone the tiller and expect docking to be smooth. Any non-trivial project requires a group of people to interact, do their part and communicate their issues as efficiently as possible.

That's what TeamDirection brings.

Microsoft Project is a great product. You can plan canals, nuclear reactors and hospitals with it. You have an array of tools at your disposal: resource pools, 10 or more working shifts per day, PERT and WBS structures, critical path analysis and a gazillion more features a skilled project manager wants, and might even need.

We think that's great. But the ability to level resources, find critical paths and adjust level of effort is lost on the person who is just making an image for the website. They only need to report when they're done, attach the image for people to see and comment how it synthesizes Bauhaus post-modernism and consumer durable gooods.

TeamDirection bridges these two worlds. It lets the project manager have all the power, and it lets the team members execute their tasks, see and connect with their team members online to resolve issues and report progress.

One product can't make everyone happy. But one product can bridge the divide between planning and execution, allow users the tools that fit their needs and focus on sharing information-- among the team, and with just a little bit of direction.

TeamDirection.

TeamDirection Project 2007 Released

How about that!

A simple, elegant, intuitive, IntelliGantt(!) project tool that makes it easy for project managers to connect with their teams, easy for teams to execute projects and easy for MS Project and MindManager to work with SharePoint and Groove.

I've been wearing a marketing hat for a while, but now I get to try on a sales hat. No its not tall and pointy :) It's only uncomfortable because I don't consider myself a salesman.

But, being an owner of TeamDirection means I want to know how everything is working, from developmet through marketing and ultimately sales. And I will do my best to make sure everything is coming together for our customers.

What this means for you, aside from great project management software, is you might just get a call from me some day. For the first few recipients, I apologize in advance for my stuttering and stammering-- I'll eventually sound smooth and polished on the phone.

But know also I won't be just talking, I'll be listening too. And the things you have to say have a great chance of making their way into our product.

I Survived Thanksgiving

Though most of the world has some sort of celebration at the end the year, here in the US we like to have a clear start and finish. Our holiday schedule officially kicks of with Thanksgiving and culminates, after a brutal test of good cheer, at least one journey of biblical proportions (lost tribes, anyone?) and rampant consumerism, with Christmas. Each year that goes by the dropped guantlet seems larger, the span between holidays feels shorter and the urge to migrate more intense.

This year, I capitulate right now. I actually capitulated a couple of days ago, but only now have I recovered sufficiently to state my capitulation for the record.

Let's see:

1) Seven and a half hour drive from Seattle to Portland
a) With two sick kids
b) And a dog (not sick, but not enjoying 7+ hours in the car, either)

2) One sick family descending upon heretofore healthy relatives
a) Throw in one pregnant relative ('You didn't tell me you were sick!")

3) One set of relatives who got diagnosed with exanthem (highly contagious kids disease) the day before Thanksgiving.
a) Bright spot-- at least they knew before they infected everyone else

4) Another set of relatives we couldn't visit because we were so sick and major surgery is close at hand.
a) Bright spot -- I am so glad they won't get sick because of us and miss surgery.

5) One night with all of us in a room, exchanging various methods of rousing the others from peaceful slumber.
a) Bright spot -- dog seemed to have no trouble sleeping through it all

Thankfully we had the foresight, in hindsight, to call the whole thing off and head back home. Convalescing the last few days has been done in the comfort of our own bedrooms, and the dog even got a walk.

However, I do notice we put up a Christmas tree today.

Perhaps we're not quite ready to capitulate this year.

Yet.

Microsoft Groove Case Study with TeamDirection

Microsoft has just posted a somewhat repackaged case study for Groove, TeamDirection and Steelcase. It's actually based on the Groove 3.x system, but its been a nice customer solution for everyone involved.

The bottom line:

Steelcase groups using Groove Virtual Office (and TeamDirection!) saved up to 10 percent on project costs by reducing travel expenses and increasing productivity.

I think the same type of solution will also work very well for SharePoint users too.

Wrapping My Head Around Social Networking

I've noticed a nifty avatar appearing besides reader's comments at sites like Read/WriteWeb and TechCrunch. Then this vertical list of most recent users, with avatars again, started appearing in the margins. It's from a new service called MyBlogLog.

'OK,' I thought, 'I can be a happening dude. Let's check it out.'

So there I am.

Now what? Is this what I have to aspire to? Is it weird to feel weird about inviting people to be my online friend? Do I really want to be a 'Hot Member?'

It all reminds me of first grade. In fact, the first day of first grade. You know, the day where you clutch your father's leg with the strength of 5 six year olds? Promising to eat your vegies.
Swearing off television for your forseeable future until dad leaves and your forced to sit at a desk.

That's when you turn to your new classmate and ask 'want to be friends?' And the other kid is so happy you asked first.

But back in first grade you got to go have recess together. What's the online equivalent?

Installing Desktop Apps vs. Installing Web Apps

Who wants to download a 15MB installation file and take 5 minutes to install a classic desktop application? Especially when its so easy to point a web browser to a super spiffy web application. For instance, I could download and install a desktop collaboration tool like Groove-- which used to come in around 30MB or so before it became 'Officized.' Or I could just use a SharePoint server and my browser, which saves me the trouble, right?


Right. But did you ever wonder how many bytes that web application might take? IE7 has a nifty feature that allows you to save a web page to your local disk in a single file that contains everything the web page needs to render. I tried it on the standard SharePoint 2003 entry page for a document workspace. I saved it and noted it took 715K. Other than about 10 members, this was basically a stock document workspace page. 715K.

Let's see, 30MB / 715K == about 42. Other than being a most amazing coincidence in the universe of Douglas Adams, it means once I've look at a SharePoint document workspace page 43 times I've actually downloaded more bytes than it would have taken to install a comparable desktop based collaboration tool.

Curious.

What do you think the sum byte total of all web application page views are? Doesn't it strike you as similar to uninstalling an old mini-app and installing new mini-application with each URL click? Could there be a tipping point where it actually makes more sense to install a desktop app? Perhaps Douglas Adams knew something we didn't and 42 really is the answer.

For whatever reason, the browser has been able to better define application installation/uninstallation than the operating system. And its such a huge, overwhelming advantage that entire industries are making fortunes exploiting the gap.

Sooner or later the old dog will have to learn a new trick.

I Resemble That Remark

Anne Zelenka posted a good commentary on her site yesterday regarding her preference for everything to be in the browser. I've been reading Anne's blog for a while now and I respect her opinions, so much so that I asked her to review our soon-to-be-released hybrid application. I hope she reviews it even more now because I think it might just change her mind.

But on to Anne's arguments. Among her points are:

• Most exciting innovations are taking place in the browser


• Browsers are the only way to develop cross-platform


• Browsers go beyond data and integrates information


• Browser experience can be made consistent


• The Browser is about me

Which leads her to predict:

"The browser will be extended to give us offline connectivity and access to desktop resources. The browser and its context provides what we need for mobile access. The browser is where it’s at, not the desktop."

Let's ignore the fact that a web browser is a desktop application for the time being because we should always strive to avoid tautologies. Instead, I believe we can reduce Anne's arguments to:

• Accessibilty


• Personalization

But let's examine Anne's points first.

1. Most exciting innovations are taking place in the browser

I'm not sure if Anne means the browser itself, or the web sites a browser points to. If its the browser itself, then true, there is a battle raging between Mozilla and Internet Explorer, but I disagree that better tabbing and RSS integration represent the pinnacle of innovation.

If its the web sites a browser points to, then I think its a push. This is the classic desktop versus webtop argument which usually reduces to what you prefer for what task. For instance, some people may be fine with Writely, some people may require FrameMaker. I gave GMail a try, I prefer Thunderbird right now. I'll probably test Outlook 2007 when it comes out, or maybe GMail will add some offline support, which is critical for me.

What I will agree with is its easier for people to try out innovation if they can get to it with a browser-- which is why I categorize this argument under Accessibility.

2. The only way to develop cross-platform.

Cross platform development has been one of those holy grails that seem more like the Easter Bunny than an actual chalice. How many cross-platform 'solutions' have come and gone? Anne acknowledges its not Java (totally agree), but there's a whole litany of attempts (anybody remember Galaxy? We almost bankrupted a previous company with that one).

I will agree there are not many choices, but that's because most companies don't want there to be many choices. As long as you have that tension, I doubt HTML will turn into a silver bullet. Because of that tension, codes extensions certainly will not. A Firefox extension will not work with IE or Safari. Same for IE or Safari add-ons. In a sense, web browsers already mirror operation systems in their lines of code demarkation.

Two additional thoughts:

2a. I do think Adobe has a shot at cross platform development with Apollo, though perhaps not so much for the 'classic' browser on the desktop, but for the mini-browser on the mobile device.

2b. I think the other possibility may be .NET. I mention this in an earlier post, but I believe Mono was the major reason Microsoft worked out a partnership with Novell.

3. Browsers go beyond data and integrate information

What about a CRM applications? That seems to integrate a lot of information. Or placing Access data tables within you MS Office documents. Or what about the latest Visual Studio development environment that maintains a rich set of constantly updating reference material online?

Two nice things about desktop applications that are designed to integrate information: a) They understand the information type so you don't have to and b) someone has designed the information layout and flow so you don't have to.

I think the issue here is really about personalization. If you don't agree with how an app lays out information, it can be arduous or impossible to change. Web browsers make it very easy to create your own, personalized mess dashboard.

4. Browser experience can be made consistent

This I just disagree with. Are all blogs consistent? Are all web apps consistent? Hardly. Maybe Anne means consistency in terms of deploying an application to users. In this case, sure, but then its more an accessibility issue (how easy is it to deploy a desktop app versus a desktop app) than an intrisic consistency issue.

5. The Browser is about me

This is Anne's most powerful point. It speaks to what's wrong with desktop software-- or even software in general. And the reason the 'browser is about me' and not the desktop app is because the web application is forced to be simple. Both the newnewss of web solutions and the constraints of the HTML world dictate simple implementations. Desktop applications, on the other hand, have rocketed past human comprehension and make people feel lost in space.

I look at a lot of the online solutions out there and I'm convinced that, while accessibility is appealing, simplicity is the real selling point. Simplicity in what you can do, in how you can personalize and, most importantly, in why one office worker can explain it to another.

I agree wholeheartedly with Anne on this point, but believe its more accidental then designed. And, if the world truly did adopt web applications exclusively, then web apps would complicate themselves so inexplicably that they would no longer be about anyone.


Another Prediction


What do I think the future is? I do think browsers will develop offline capabiity, but the real solution is software that allows for the right tool for the audience. As I said earlier, writers may need FrameMaker to write their books, but an editor would only need a PDF reader to edit it. Architects may need Autocad, but contractors may only need Visio and framers may only need a printout of their wall.

I only see one thing standing in the way-- installation that doesn't involve the user. If the browser can do it, I see no reason why the OS can't; and I'd argue .NET takes us some of the way there. Once that is solved, then installing the right application-- be it desktop, browser extension or web-- will be no different than sending a drawing to a printer. People in different roles need different views of data in different presentations. It will be the ability of *any* software to use desktop, extension or webtop effectively to address the proper presentation for distinct audiences that will determine success in the future.

So what do you think, Anne; would you still like to try my desk/web hybrid app?