Advantages-of-Web-Application-over-Desktop-Software

Browser based software never requires installation processes or hard drive space. It lives in a virtual cloud in the Internet and this means that whenever you launch it, it always has the latest version. Ajax has made it possible to deliver Desktop-like look & feel, and functionality, with no loss of performance!

This opens a wider market for software vendors. No longer do they have to build technology around a specific platform and limit their market (or incur additional costs to build for another platform). The browser is the platfom and therefore I believe you will see increased uptake in OS like Mac OS and Linux, due to the increased availability of Web Applications.

Instead of having to patch each and every individual user, the patches/upgrades are applied to the server and each user receives the updated version the next time they log in.

Easy access, at the same time its secure. The same way that people access their email from any browser, web apps are exactly the same. Just login, and start working.

Given that the browser is now the platform, operational support costs and maintenance for Web Application providers will drop substantially. No need to have expensive operating system gurus on hand to help with installation problems. Also, using products like the Amazon EC2 cloud, will allow scalability, without a proportionate increase in costs.

Almost every Mobile App uses a Web Application in its back-end. It is easy to integrate your web application into a Mobile App, with APIs. Compiled desktop applications are going to have a hard time being adapted for mobile devices. Web apps are ready made (in most cases).

Finally, the network administrator in the company does not have to approve the installation of your software!

There are certainly going to be a lot less bugs in Web based software, due to the fact that it is not depending on any of the hardware or environment settings in the OS that may usually cause a problem.

Many Web Apps are creating chat facilities and the ability to share your work in real time. This removes the previous "stand-alone" functionality that used to exist with most installed desktop applications. The world is becoming more and more social – people want to collaborate and work online together – Web Apps allows this, painlessly.

No boxes, printed manual, expensive shipping costs, CDs, distribution channels, middlemen, etc. Web applications are going to be more economical to produce and will result in a lower cost of sale.

What do you need a dual core processor for, if you're running a thin client application? This opens up a world of cost savings for both companies and consumers, especially in the field of productivity apps.

Here is a big one. Imagine a world without software piracy. That world is here, and Web Applications are the solution to that problem.

Although this is probably not going to be true for all Web App companies, but using providers like Rackspace or Amazon's EC2 cloud will go a long way in reassuring users that their data is safer than on their desktop.