Re:Is the redesign killing Facebook apps? Yes, say app devel...
by ken on Wednesday September 24, 2008 @01:10PM
(#313761)
This highlights one of the biggest problems I have with web apps. The flip side of "you can instantly upgrade all users of your software" is "your users are all forced to use the latest version, whether they like it or not".
In the old days, if you didn't like the new version, you simply didn't upgrade. Nothing would stop you from running the old version. (I'm still using a 2001 version of an app which has had 3 major releases since then.)
With open-source, you had the option not only of sticking with the old version, but maintaining it.
Web apps, in this respect, are a step backwards: you can't even run the old version. If you're lucky, they might include an "Older version" link (GMail), but chances are they'll just remove features without even updating the docs (Google Maps). (But I'm not bitter.)
In the economic sense, you used to have to compete with not just your competitors, but with older versions of yourself. On the web, this self-competition is removed. Also, web apps tend to have strong network effects (who's the #2 Facebook or Twitter?), and make it very difficult to get your data out. Great for startups, bad for users.
In the old days, if you didn't like the new version, you simply didn't upgrade. Nothing would stop you from running the old version. (I'm still using a 2001 version of an app which has had 3 major releases since then.)
With open-source, you had the option not only of sticking with the old version, but maintaining it.
Web apps, in this respect, are a step backwards: you can't even run the old version. If you're lucky, they might include an "Older version" link (GMail), but chances are they'll just remove features without even updating the docs (Google Maps). (But I'm not bitter.)
In the economic sense, you used to have to compete with not just your competitors, but with older versions of yourself. On the web, this self-competition is removed. Also, web apps tend to have strong network effects (who's the #2 Facebook or Twitter?), and make it very difficult to get your data out. Great for startups, bad for users.