Tech Watch | InfoWorld Staff » Web apps use Google Gears to go offline

August 21, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Web apps use Google Gears to go offline

TAGS: Web 2.0

The appeal of browser-based desktop apps is obvious: They're free or at least very cheap. You don't need to install them. And they lend themselves to real-time collaboration. The problem is even more obvious -- without an Internet connection you're dead.

That's why, in June, Google came out with Gears, an open-source browser extension that enables developers to create an offline mode for Web applications. The first out of the gate to use Gears turns out to be Zoho Office, the suite that "blew the rest out of the water" in Oliver Rist's informal comparative review of browser-based desktop applications last year.

We haven't had a chance to check out the synching between offline and online yet, which will be key to the success of the product. And we assume Google is busily eating its own dogfood and prepping for the release of a Gears version of Google Apps. When both are available for review, we'll do a close comparison of Zoho's and Google's offline-capable versions.

Meanwhile, I can't help but notice that more and more people have caught on to browser based word processors and spreadsheets (mainly Google's of course) in just the past few months. Primarily for collaborative documents, it's true. But in my mind's eye I keep seeing the endless parade of "percentage complete" bars from the last install I did of Microsoft Office on my home machine. For $400. Will I ever do that again?

Posted by Eric Knorr on August 21, 2007 02:43 PM

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