What I like about Web 2

Web 2 isn’t suitable for all applications but it has a significant part to play in our future computer use.

Why I like web 2

It’s Free and easy and “out there”
There has been free software available since the beginnings of the PC era but you would have to get it on a disk or download it and then install it on your computer. I never liked this – I had to worry about just what it was I was installing – could it be trusted and what would it do to my computer. I would hear so many stories about how items of free software would mess up people’s registry and cause strange effects on computers and how you were stuck for good with the software as you couldn’t uninstall it. As a result I rarely used any free software.

I like Web 2 because I don’t have to install anything on my computer. I can try things and not have to mess up my computer. The other great thing is that I can access it from any other Internet connected computer – it’s on the Net rather than on my computer.
I like Web 2 because it’s free – I don’t mind the ads and many of the products don’t even have ads.

I like web 2 because it’s easy – I haven’t found any “product” difficult to start using. The creators have to make the “products” easy to use because it is so easy for people to go somewhere else. “products also have to be easy and self evident as the business model can’t support helpdesks – users are on their own and the “product has to be easy.

Diversity
There are just so many “products” and the type of thing they can deal with is expanding all the time. There is just so much choice and there is no dominant player .

It’s naturally collaborative
Because your application and its information is already “out there” on the Net it is easy to make it accessible to others and to share it. Trying to share applications and information on your computer is not a natural act – you have to install P2P features and then worry about the security of your computer.

As an IT manager
I like web 2 because it puts the user in control – users can choose their preferred applications and take responsibility.
I like web 2 because I don’t have to install applications on user computers.
I like web 2 because I don’t have to worry about application backups.
I like web 2 because I don’t have to worry about security of the application site.
I like web 2 because I don’t have to worry about application updates.

The application site “producers” have to carry out and worry about backups, security and updates. Instead of spending so much time installing, maintaining, securing and updating applications IT departments can spend more time with users advising and guiding in the use of their computers.