Most users of desktop computers still run conventional binary software applications, but will the Web browser become the general-purpose host platform for most, if not all, applications? The technology review, proofs of concept, and various arguments presented in this paper answer this question in the affirmative.

The major benefits of Web applications are emphasized. With no manual installation, and with instant deployment and the ability to aggregate content from different locations (that is, mashups), the authors argue that conventional binary software applications will simply struggle to compete. Web-based graphics library (WebGL) technology brings the ability to display 3D graphics natively in a Web browser. Coupled with dramatic improvements in the performance of JavaScript engines in recent years (around two orders of magnitude), it is now possible to deliver central processing unit (CPU)-hungry games in the Web browser. As a proof of concept, reference is made to the successful port of the game Quake II. As another proof of concept, work is described using WebGL to create a 3D version of Lively Kernel, an integrated development environment (IDE) that runs in a Web browser. The authors conclude that the emerging Hypertext Markup Language 5 (HTML5) and WebGL standards will eliminate the remaining barriers to the transformation of the Web into a fully fledged application platform.

My only criticism is that the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) deserves more than a passing reference. By supporting compilation to JavaScript from Java, the GWT may become a dominant technology.

I strongly recommend this paper to computer science academics and industrial software developers and their managers.