For the starters there is no such thing as “Online Desktop Application”, that is a term which I termed 
. Now to the crux of the blog, providing desktop application persistent information functionality to web-based application (well that’s a mouthful).
Let me elaborate. Ever used online web applications like “Google Docs“? What happens when you write/update some document (a fairly big one for illustration )and the Internet connection breaks down before you have a chance to click on the save button? Well, well, well, doesn’t that loss of time and effort frustrate you??? (You may well encounter the same situation while using a desktop applications, but that’s a different story altogether).
This is the same issue, Google is trying to solve with their new offering Google Gears. Its still in beta though, so might be a little buggy. It tries to accomplish the following tasks (according to Google Gears Homepage)
- Store and serve application resources locally
- Store data locally in a fully-searchable relational database
- Run asynchronous JavaScript to improve application responsiveness
Google intends to make Google Gears open source (tap into vast expertise available out in the wild).Well its a huge step towards moving from Desktop applications to Web-based application.
If you intend to develop web application, don’t forget about Google Gears, it may be the differentiating point between you and your competitor 
While we are at Google Gears, it is worth pointing out that Adobe is also working on similar lines and have a framework in place, called Apollo presently residing at Adobe Labs.
Google and Adobe are already in plans for joint development of these technologies. Good news for Web developers, good news for the Web.
Filed under: Internet at large
