Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

AOL vs. Microsoft -- the Future of Distributed Apps

Author:cameron@alphanumerica.com
Posted:6/21/2000; 6:09:44 PM
Topic:AOL vs. Microsoft -- the Future of Distributed Apps
Msg #:18000
Prev/Next:17999 / 18001

Imagine a word processor integrated into the Web browser (MSIE of course) and a toolbar that makes it easy to switch to your presentation program, spreadsheet, schedule, contact list, mail app, draw program, etc. All with a consistent user interface, and deep integration with Web services, that the client talks to through SOAP.

And while the code for these apps resides on your local hard disk, they are updated automatically, presumably with user confirmation. You pay Microsoft for this software, but it's a subscription fee, not a traditional software license.

This is the direction that Mozilla is heading as well. David Boswell wrote an article recently discussing the idea of Mozilla as an "Application Virtual Machine". The article discusses Mozilla applications written to share a common Mozilla codebase ["code for these apps resides on your local hard disk"], can easily interact with other applications, and are founded upon the concept of distributed computing and network computing. It's entirely possible, say, to install and launch a Mozilla application across an Internet connection directly from a password-protected web page. The application itself is made up of XUL, CSS, and Javascript, with graphics (GIFs, JPGs, PNGs) drawing the application widgets and other visually complex parts of the UI. The interaction in a Mozilla app is accomplished by using regular Javascript to access and manipulate the DOM of the Mozilla app's codebase. Whether that app (or particular component) is a web browser, a spreadsheet, a chat client, an email client, or any other application is up to the developer.

By creating modular and componentized applications that reside on top of the Mozilla codebase, it's possible to envision the opportunity that Mozilla offers developers and the next generation of software application developers. The added bonus is that Mozilla is open source, so any application developed can ultimately benefit from the collaboration and innovation happening at any one of the Mozilla development shops around the world. This is in direct contrast from the Microsoft strategy (we'll likely learn tomorrow...) in which the APIs and standards used to develop their "Next Generation Web Service" are ultimately closed and proprietary. You can expect to see their services and applications work only (or best) with Microsoft's own Internet Explorer. While the integration and interoperability between their services apps, web browser, and operating system will be nice and tight, it will probably not allow for outside developers to really innovate -- let alone develop for a cross-broswer and cross-platform market. With Microsoft it's all about lock-in. If they can lock a user into their technology and services, then it will ultimately benefit them. It's worked for AOL very nicely, some 22 million-plus users more-or-less locked into a proprietary AOL browser and services.

Of course, this pits Mozilla directly against Microsoft for the next few years, a battle that will be interesting to watch. One thing to pay attention to is what AOL is going to do with the Mozilla technology which is the foundation for their Netscape 6 browser. The benefits the Netscape 6 browser gains from Mozilla innovation will certainly pit AOL against the services and distributed applications Microsoft has planned. The future may indeed be AOL vs. Microsoft.

Lastly, Mozilla (and Netscape 6) is still the only modern browser that is available for operating systems other than Windows. This includes the rapidly growing Linux OS, as well as the new and robust Mac OS X. (It's a safe bet that Microsoft's services and apps won't run in IE 5 for Mac OS X). For developers and end users, it will likely boil down to choice. Where Microsoft doesn't offer one, Mozilla (and AOL) will.

Other companies to watch in this area are Sun and Oracle, both of which are embracing the open source developer communities.

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