looks like mozilla labs is cooking up something to bring web apps to the desktop. their latest project, prism, aims to:
bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur
hmm..so at the surface without being able to get my hands on it, it looks like some type of desktop sandbox wrapper around a web application? most likely relying on a web rendering platform to exist on the desktop already (i'm sure they are obviously depending on mozilla/gecko)? wow, welcome back 1996.
what? you don't remember IE4? the feature that was implemented in IE4 called HTML Application (HTA)? i do. i implemented it several times. sure, you may mock me now, but for the DHTML days of young, HTA (when IE would be your restriction) was the shiznit for some customers. looking at it now, we scoff at such an idea.
it is funny because someone even commented on the prism labs project with the same thought (no response yet when i last checked as of this writing). well, i'm not sure about it, and based on the 190+ comments neither are others. of course, those will forget the HTA attempt at such a thing, and since microsoft isn't implementing it, it will be super cool and people will flock to it when released...maybe.
wait, bringing web apps to the desktop...when you look at one of their UX Goals, you'll see they aim to 'integrate web applications into the user's desktop experience' -- hey mozilla, consider it done...IT'S CALLED YOUR OWN BROWSER.