So maybe our day has come, after all

http://theregister.co.uk/content/23/25620.html

Get ready to stay busy, folks...

That, in a sence, is what I am currently doing now. Any new applications that the company wants is done via PHP and a web interface. The older programs that are currently being run are being converted into web apps so that they can all be stored in one spot and not have to be loaded onto each machine.

This is fun...

On a somewhat related note: the Alpha version of PHP with Zend 2 scripting engine is now available at www.php.net. This will be a major step forward in establishing PHP as a "serious" programming language. Check it out.

And, combine that fact with a couple of other good ones:

- http://php.net/dotnet

- http://php.net/java

- http://php.net/com

- http://pear.php.net/manual/en/pecl.satellite.php

We will be able to talk anyone's language. We will rule... MWAAAAHAHAHAhahaha...
(evil laugh dies out)

It's gonna be a good year

Surely there is still further to go?
Any web application till has still has to integrate seamlessly into the desk top?

Well, there are quite a few working on that, from many different angles. I agree that there needs to be a better protocol than standard HTML/browser interaction. The problem is, everyone is working in different directions; there is no standard.

If we could depend on a truly universal implementation of DHTML/CSS/Javascript/XML in the browser, then it would be simple enough, but in actual practice, there are so many different browsers, all with different levels of support and bugginess. And, it is possible for the user to completely turn off Javascript. Then, of course, both Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Netscape each have their extended programming interface (ActiveX/COM for IE, XUL/Javascript for Mozilla), but this means you have to write your application for that specific browser.

The whole world thought for awhile that Java applets would provide the way to bridge the desktop/webserver gap, but the next thing we knew, Java was being re-packaged as a server solution, or as a stand-alone software language. We hardly see anyone using Java GUI components for web-based systems anymore.

The .NET people say the answer is to make everyone install the .NET framework, which is now at least 30 MB of download. I would hardly call that a "thin client".

I think the problem is that everyone is so wrapped up in implementation that no one takes the time to think about protocols and standards. For example, HTTP, with POST/GET, etc... provides a nice set of stndard protocols that can be used by any software, any implementation you want. Any requesting agent can use this protocol, and it just... works!!! We need such conceptual protocols for desktop interaction, also. I stress, we need a protocol, not an implementation. Java is an implementation, wrapped up in it's own virtual machine, with its own language, compiler, etc... Instead, if there were a straightforward protocol for standard desktop interaction (widgets, etc...) that allows for implementation in any OS, using any programming language, that would be a major step forward.

I have found one developer who has some ideas in this area: http://www.geocities.com/tablizer/scgui.htm. I think this is exactly the kind of thing needed. The browser is great for rendering content, with nice designs, multimedia, etc... but we need an anologous application for real data-centric, form-dependent interaction. Think of it as a forms browser. The great thing about a concept like this is that it would still work perfectly with PHP, over HTTP or HTTPS. The server could treat it exactly as a browser, but you would be able to have a much finer degree of control over how the server and the user interact.