It’s obvious that desktop applications are dying a slow death even though we’re seeing things like Acropolis. It seems as if the masses are happier using browser plug-ins like Flash and Adobe Reader than they are downloading applications via ClickOnce. And, Google Gears is adding fuel to that fire. So, it looks as if the browser sandbox is the place to play. But, I don't think the browser offers a terribly compelling user experience; the internet is compelling, but the browser sucks.
Ajax is great, but I think things like Adobe Apollo and Microsoft Silverlight (both plug-ins, so to speak) are really going to make a big difference in the way people interact with online applications. Unfortunately, the browser will still be in the way.
What I’d like to see is a simple browser toolbar that launches pages onto the desktop. Tabs are fine, but they’re still confined to the browser window. I want something that allows me to stash pages anywhere on the desktop, iconize them, maximize them and treat them as something separate from the browser.
I’m going to create a simple browser app to do that so I can see if I really do like it. Of course, it may end up on my long list of bad ideas.
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