Future of the web.

The answer is right in front of you even if you don't see it already:

The web started with simple HTML.
Then came the dynamic web where content is dynamically generated for the users.
Then came the wikis which enabled editable webs.
Then web applications got more interactive with AJAX.
The next level of interactivity is where applications execute and behave like Desktop applications within the browser.
Then there will be the web OS where you store all the important data in the web and access the same from everywhere.

* The web OS sounds grand but the closest we have today for the client is Flash/Flex & Silverlight & XUL to a lesser extent.
* This will blur the line between desktop apps & web apps further.
* Making toy applications for web will no longer fly & traditional players might get another shot. (MSFT vs GOOGL)
* The recent acquisition of 'Parakey' by Facebook is an indication of where the future is going.
* HTML or AJAX(to a lesser extent) will still be around as there are applications for which they are suited more.
* AJAX was a mistake, making a Java VM to virtualize the development or coding for 'n' browsers is not the future.
* Flash/Flex is the underdog here where people often associate Flash with those 'flashy' sites. It is no longer the case.
* With cross-platform support in Flex & Apollo along with synchronization & native db support it is an example of how the web platform of the future is going to be!
* And then, sometime in the future we will have a web OS which has some features from Omnidrive & Parakey.

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