Comments on: Eric Knorr @ InfoWorld : The long good-bye to the browser

By: anthonyfranco

anthonyfranco — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:30:04 +0000

I think you are “arguing to agree” here … If you read the original article, Eric was making the case that the browser is going away, that it’s dead. The point of my post was to say “whoa, not so fast” – the browser has a purpose too, but not all applications need “hyperlink” technology (I would may need to link from eBay desktop to Apple – and if I do, I can easily do so by launching a browser from eBay Desktop). The eBay desktop experience is all about answering a need in the market – which is sometimes better to do on the desktop than within the constraints of a browser.

Will the browser be the “tool of choice”? – I think it will be , were appropriate – but more “niche” use cases will require us to leverage existing browser based code and extending functionality to deeper, more focused desktop applications…

-Anthony

By: Michael Long

Michael Long — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:18:09 +0000

You say that browsers will always have a purpose – a common GUI framework that is safe. And that’s because sometimes a dedicated application will do the job better than a generic tool.

Fair enough.

But personally, I think you’re forgetting a W. It’s the World Wide WEB, remember? Because much of what makes the web the web lies in its interconnectiveness. An ebay app that make’s it easier to buy a used Mac is fine… but now what happens when I want to link to Apple’s site for a description? What if I want to search Google or MacWorld or epinions for reviews?

What if, heaven forbid, I want to visit Craigslist and search for the same item?

Will your dedicated ebay app let me do all of those things? Probably not. Most of them? Still no. Which is why, IMHO, browsers will always remain the tool of choice.

And not simply because they’re safe.