[Baypiggies] native GUI vs. web browser

[K. Richard Pixley]

Heikki Toivonen wrote:
> But I do agree that for the majority of applications "browser-based" is
> the future. I would in fact argue that that has been the case for
> several years already. I see mobile devices currently bucking that
> trend, but as devices get more powerful and (mobile) browsers more
> capable, mobile applications will go the way of the desktop applications.
>   
I don't think they will.

It's related to the browser wars.  Everyone wants to own eyes.  In an 
embedded application, you do.  There's no choice for browser.  Once I've 
sold you a mobile phone or gaming platform or text reader or network 
toaster if you use it, you use my browser, so I get to decide what 
commercials you watch rather than google.  That's a revenue stream for 
me and a very strong motivation NOT to allow you to read web pages that 
haven't been specifically written for my browser or which aren't 
available on my walled garden.

As a hardware vendor, or an ISP, or a telecom carrier, or anything else, 
why would I want to give that up?  "general purpose use" is not a 
salable feature for these devices - you don't buy them because they are 
capable of running your companies vacation database.  You buy them 
because of their primary uses.

I can even argue that both macintosh and linux are poor choices for web 
browser hosting so that when we're talking about web based applications, 
we're really just talking about microsoft based development.

Now, microsoft still holds a monopoly on general purpose computing.  
Macintosh and linux are distant competitors.  However, most computers in 
the world today are no longer general purpose computers, (if they ever 
were).  No, most computers today are arm processors.  Most devices run 
non-microsoft.  And most of those are not capable of running the sorts 
of web based applications you're talking about.  Nor is there much 
motivation to teach them to do so.

--rich