The web is growing far beyond the browser

In the first phase, the web concept is synonymous with the browser. Today's browsers still share many of the same features as the "predecessor" NCSA Mosaic while the website evolves at a much faster rate.

No longer are static pages with limited graphics like 15 years ago, the website is now highly interactive and acts as an application on the desktop environment.

Twhirl's "desktop" service supports users to categorize information that their friends update by color, time . Photo: Crunch Base .

For example, the Twitter online service recently released the Twhirl program, which can be activated by double-clicking on the icon. Twhirl window is compact, stylized with contoured borders and customizable colors. The program works fast, convenient and easy to use.

But although it looks and feels like a desktop software, Twhirl's user interface is built with HTML, CSS, ActionScript and Flash. In other words, it is completely a web application.

Twhirl is built on Adobe AIR - a library that allows web developers to use familiar tools and languages ​​to create RIA applications. Unlike traditional web applications, software developed from an AIR environment is capable of instantaneous operation, can run outside the browser window, be interactive and fully connected.

In addition to Adobe, many other companies such as Google, NetSuite, Salesforce.com, and Zoho are also launching web-based business applications, despite the limitations of today's browsers.