Web-based software challenges Windows

[papau]

An example is Google maps that do not require reloading of a static map if you want to look west, or east, or north, or south - you can with Google (these tools) drag the map over any which way and watch new areas fill in instantly - and then zoom in quickly using an Ajax slider. Of course an Ajax user - namely Microsoft - wants to push as a next-generation alternative known as XAML which will only run on Windows - no Macs, no Linux.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/10/25/software.on.the.web.ap/index.html

Web-based software challenges Windows

Tuesday, October 25, 2005; Posted: 1:05 p.m. EDT (17:05 GMT)
NEW YORK (AP) -- A quiet revolution is transforming life on the Internet: New, agile software now lets people quickly check flight options, see stock prices fluctuate and better manage their online photos and e-mail.

Such tools make computing less of a chore because they sit on distant Web servers and run over standard browsers. Users thus don't have to worry about installing software or moving data when they switch computers.

And that could bode ill for Microsoft Corp. and its flagship Office suite, which packs together word processing, spreadsheets and other applications.

The threat comes in large part from Ajax, a set of Web development tools that speeds up Web applications by summoning snippets of data as needed instead of pulling entire Web pages over and over.

"It definitely supports a Microsoft exit strategy," said Alexei White, a product manager at Ajax developer eBusiness Applications Ltd. "I don't think it can be a full replacement, but you could provide scaled-down alternatives to most Office products that will be sufficient for some users."<snip>