I came across the [url=http://www.ajaxwindows.com]ajaxWindows[/url] site today while browsing around on [url=http://del.icio.us]del.icio.us[/url]. They’ve basically replicated a complete desktop OS using AJAX. The question is… why?
The “for” argument is availability of your files, email, etc. from any location / any computer. In principle, I like the idea of making data ubiquitous in this fashion. However, I’m not sure this is the best way to go about doing it.
First off, it’s [i]yet another interface[/i] to master. It’s not quite like Windows, it’s not at all like Mac, and it’s most similar to the Gnome and KDE desktops that I’ve played around with on various Linux installs over the years. This begs the question of whether a complete desktop emulation is really necessary to provide “anywhere” access to the files in question. Isn’t there a simpler way?
Secondly, unless you work primarily from rented computers at internet cafes or other public terminals, what is the comparative advantage of having a “desktop within a desktop”? Most users will already have their laptop along with them if they’re mobile, so there’s nothing they’ll get via ajaxDesktop that they haven’t already got behind their browser window.
The real challenge, as I see it, is keeping a multiplicity of devices (desktop computer, laptop computer, smartphone/PDA, etc.) in sync. This is going to become more and more important as the availability of high speed wireless internet expands, and the ability/perceived need to access this information “any place, any time” increases. In my opinion, what’s really going to be helpful is not another desktop, but rather a “smart” tool that can automatically keep all these devices in sync, while still providing access and control of content (files, email, photos, whatever) from any location.
With that said, ajaxDesktop [i]is[/i] an amazing technical achievement and deserves merit in its own right. However, I just don’t see it doing much more than being a resume-cherry for the developers who’ve put it together. Time will tell.