11 Reasons to Use Webware Over Desktop Software

It might creep up on you slowly or shift your thinking quickly, but webware - i.e., web-browser based applications - are already replacing their desktop software counterparts in terms of functionality, not necessarily number of users. Not yet anyway.

So why the migration? Well, there are numerous positive reasons to use webware, as listed below. And if you’re looking for a starting point, check out the list of 100 web-based software apps at Tzunami.

1. Runs from a browser, so tends to work on all operating systems.
2. No need for a hard drive to store application files. (Data is stored on remote servers instead of your computer.)
3. Available wherever you have access to a computer and the Internet.
4. Doesn’t require multiple user licenses, if any.
5. Can be ad-supported and thus offered free of charge.
6. May have a “rich” interface nearly resembling that of desktop applications.
7. Has collaboration and sharing features, making it ideal for virtual teams.
8. Doesn’t require annoying, time-consuming version upgrades for the end user.
9. Creates useful hybrid software categories that cannot exist easily on a desktop.
10. Highly integrated with the web browser and thus often customizable through APIs (Application Programmer Interfaces).
11. Is a viable, versatile replacement for common categories of desktop software.