Wired article, Aug-10 by Christian Anderson and Michael Wolff.
Two decades after its birth, the WWW is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services - think apps - are less about searching and more about getting. I like the structure of this article with the confrontation: Who's to blame: Us - Them.
I have a simple view to this: web browsers "promised" to become little powerful client operating systems, but the service providers' strategies banked on controlling a major chunk of the whole net universe by providing information services with navigation type interaction. From a business stand point innovators required to find other ways so get their market segment. Something alternative, but on the same platform. Web Apps (if you look into my "Music From All Directions" gadget below ....)
What does this mean to computational math? Number crunch in London, manipulate from Singapore? Yes.
If you have made Mathematica applications, you take webMathematica redesign the application a little and make it web enabled - exploiting the dynamic graphics capabilities derived from the powerful Manipulate function. With mobile devices, like the iPad, your application follows your users. The iPad is perfect for graphical apps and wide access to servers.
We have made the UnRisk FACTORY web-enabled, but as a universal solution its front-end has the navigation-paradigm and not an app-type.
But with webMathematica and webUnRisk one can build high-powered quant finance applications with front-ends that contain apps.
Number crunch in London, valuate in Singapore, back test in NY, report in Vienna, ...
I think of Wolfam|Alpha architectures and APIs .....
