[Rule] browser based word processor (and other apps)

[C David Rigby]

Hi James,

I read the article but I have yet to seriously try out the web
application. What you suggest makes great sense, though. It seems
similar to the idea behind most multiple terminal/powerful server type
architectures dating back to time-sharing mainframes. The web and AJAX
enable a new take on the principle.

I have an old Pentium 166 w/ 32 MB of RAM that I rescued from the
sidewalk two weeks ago. I intend to install FC 5 via the next
interation of slinky when it is ready, and I'll see how that manages
when it is connected to my ADSL line.

Cheers
CDR

On 3/28/06, James Miller <jamtat at mailsnare.net> wrote:
> I see list activity is picking up again, so I wanted to forward the post
> below, which came from a different listserv.  This attracted my attention
> as a good solution for older PC's, at least under certain circumstances.
> The wordprocessor worked well with the few documents I tried it on, and
> other apps are planned.  It struck me that, for a user of an older PC, but
> who had a fast internet connection, only Firefox would need to be
> installed in the way of robust applications: as long as internet access
> was working at broadband speeds, no wordprocessing software would need to
> be installed locally on said machine.  If they finally implement other
> major applications (as they say they will), one could get by with a
> machine with basic system services installed locally, plus X, a
> lightweight WM, and Firefox.  Does this scheme seem to others to hold the
> potential for making old hardware useful (in cases where decent internet
> connectivity exists) that it does to me?
>
> James
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 12:11:24 -0800
> To: LifeRaft <survpc at tmonroe.com>
> Subject: +[SurvPC] browser based word processor is Micro$oft compatible
>
> Below is the advertising email from Michael Robertson developer of Linspire.
> You can go directly to http://www.ajaxwrite.com/
> to look at this zero cost solution to on-line Scribnerism.
>
> Then see http://www.linspire.com/ajaxpress.php
>
> ========
>
> Bye Bye Microsoft Word, Hello ajaxWrite
>
> March 23, 2006
>
> What if there was alternative for Microsoft Word that would install and open in
> 6 seconds, read and write Microsoft Word .doc files and run on Macintosh,
> Microsoft Windows or Linux computers? And oh yeah, it was FREE so consumers
> didn't have to pay $499 for Microsoft Office. I'm excited to announce that day
> is here.
>
> Before I go into specifics, let me give you some background about how it all
> came about. Two years ago, I received an email from a guy named Hisham. I
> usually get a couple of emails a week from someone with a big idea, but I got
> the sense that there was more to this one. He told me about his idea to offer a
> service like CNR (a popular Linspire feature that installs programs with one
> click) for all computers. He wasn't talking about a software installation
> system, but rather a new way to build and deliver software using the power of
> the browser. This would mean that the latest software could be delivered
> directly to any computer with an Internet connection almost instantaneously.
>
> Since he's in Germany, I agreed to a meeting in Brussels, Belgium where I was
> attending to other EU business. We met in a dark, smoky hotel bar, which lent
> an air akin to a spy novel rendezvous. Hisham pulled out a laptop and did a
> quick technology demonstration. Within a couple hours we formulated a plan to
> revolutionize the way consumers acquire and use PC software.
>
> You can get music, movies and news with a single click, but if you need a major
> software program you have to drive to a store and waste the better part of a
> day and a significant sum of money to get to a point where you can use it. The
> same technology companies that have made it possible to deliver just about
> anything else with a single click on a computer haven't done the same for
> software. Microsoft and others seemed locked into a 1980s style of business
> largely because their monopoly has insulated them from competitive pressures to
> change.
>
> My plan is to replace bloated, expensive PC software with a system that
> dynamically loads software to your computer when you need it and at no cost.
> Want to write a document? One click and you'll have a word processor at your
> fingertips. Need to create a financial model? Click, and a spreadsheet program
> is at your service. The software will always be up to date and run on any
> Mac/Win/Lin computer.
>
> With this mission I quietly formed a new company last year and set about
> realizing our first products. I became the CEO and have been working with my
> team to build our cornerstone applications, the first of which we're launching
> today.
> Introducing ajaxWrite, a completely web-based AJAX platform
>
> ajaxWrite is a powerful word processor that can read and write Microsoft Word
> formatted documents. Anytime you need a word processor, need to open a .doc
> file or edit a .doc file, simply point your Firefox browser at ajaxWrite.com
> and in seconds a full-featured program will be loaded. For 90 percent of the
> people in the world, the need to buy Microsoft Word just vanished. This won't
> make Microsoft happy, but software users should be very excited that software
> just got cheaper, immediate and modern.
>
> But ajaxWrite is just the start. We have a library of applications we have been
> working on to replace most of the standard PC software titles. Every week we
> will launch a new sophisticated program on Wednesday at 12:00 PST on
> ajaxlaunch.com. These programs will push the boundaries of what people believe
> is possible today with web-delivered software. These programs look and operate
> much like their traditional software cousins, but are cross-platform, loaded
> dynamically, and are available to users at no charge. I'm convinced if you try
> a few of these products you will understand how the software business will
> fundamentally change.
>
> The impact of this shift in how software is delivered to users cannot be
> understated. First and foremost, we're blowing up the economic model that
> companies like Microsoft and Adobe have built their empires around - selling
> packaged software for big dollar amounts. Software is transforming into a
> service more akin to web mail, news, IM and VoIP where the basic offering is
> free. That doesn't mean that the companies behind these services don't make
> money, but that the way they make money will changes.
>
> Secondly, software is constantly improving. Rather than living with a software
> program for 3 years until a new version is released, these programs are
> constantly being updated with features, bug fixes and security enhancements
> seamlessly delivered invisibly each time the program is launched. As your
> reading this, users are trying out ajaxWrite and giving us feedback in the
> forums. The changes and fixes are almost immediately implemented so the next
> ajaxWrite user sees the benefit.
>
> Because these programs utilize browser technology and push some processing to
> servers, they can be small, which minimizes hardware requirements. Typically
> new versions of desktop software fatten up and soak up all available PC
> performance and run slowly on older PCs. ajaxWrite is moving in the opposite
> direction. It's a slim 400K. You read that right - its size is less than one
> megabyte, which means it runs equally well on a low-powered laptop as well as a
> high-powered desktop.
>
> As you probably surmised from the names ajaxLaunch and ajaxWrite, we are using
> AJAX technology to deliver this software magic. But unlike other AJAX efforts
> that have produced web-based programs with awkward user interfaces, our
> programs look and operate like traditional software applications. Therefore,
> there is no need to learn a new interface with awkward buttons or browser-based
> interfaces.
>
> I encourage you to try ajaxWrite.com from Firefox 1.5, or newer, and experience
> the future of software firsthand. There's no cost. No registration required.
> Nothing to install. Not even an email address is required. We've constructed a
> FAQ at ajaxLaunch.com which will give you more technical details. Please also
> take a minute to share your perspective in our forum about this and other AJAX
> software that we'll be unveiling.
>
> -- Michael
>
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