Web applications

An application attained by a web browser over the Internet is called a Web application. A Web application also is a computer application written in a browser-supported programming language (such are HTML, Java, JavaScript and others) and when used in a common browser the application would be executable.
Web applications become popular thanks to their clients. They are popular because you can modify, update and observe them without having to install software on more than thousands of client computers. Most of the web applications have Webmail, online auctions, wikis, weblogs and many other functions.

History

In the first computers every application had its own user interface and needed to be installed on every PC. When the application needed to be upgraded this would simply involve upgrade on every one of the clients, which will increase the cost and lessen the productivity.
On the other hand, web applications produce documents supported by HTML/XHTML browsers. JavaScript is used to add dynamic elements to applications. In fact, a web page reaches the client as a static document. During a session of opening sequence of pages the browser executes and shows the web pages, and is a universal client for all applications.

Interface

Web applications have a few limitations – because using Java, JavaScript, and other programming languages you can draw pictures, play audio and video files. An example of an application which is combination of some technologies is Ajax – and it shows that this gives opportunity for more interactive experience. The services have combined all these features to an interface which has operating system – this adds to the above mentioned functions the function drag and drop. As mentioned above Client–side scripting is used to add dynamic elements to pages – which mean that the pages become more operative. Nowadays these have been improved so that the Client–side scripting and server-side scripting to be organized together. Such scripting is the PHP.

Technical consideration

When a web application is used for supporting a browser it is supposed to acts as determined no matter what the operating system version is on the client. And this eases things because it’s easier to create one application and use with almost all operating systems (such are MS Windows, Mac OS, Linux and etc.). But it’s known that incompatible utilities of programming languages and other specifications could cause big problems. And moreover, the changes the users can make to their browser can come into an interaction with and implementation of a Web application.
Another way to support customers interface is by using Adobe Flash or Java. Because of the fact that most of the web browsers have plug-ins for these applications it’s easier for such elements to be implemented. These applications give bigger control of the interface, despite that a lot of incompatibilities between these two applications can produce varieties of complications. There is discussion on the subject “Should we call these applications Web Applications” because they have a lot in common with the conventional client-server applications. Usually they are being called Rich Internet Application.

Structure

Despite there are many ways a web application can be developed, the most common one is as three-tiered application. The most often met form is the following: the 1st tire is the browser, the 2nd – the dynamic web application, and the last one is the database. The way it acts – the browser sends requests to the second tier, and the second tier – the dynamic web application – makes updates using the third tier – the database, and this way it generates an interface.

Business Use

Providing web access to software, which before was given to people as a local application is the new strategy of software companies. It depends from the application whether it will need an absolutely new browser-based interface, or a small change of an already existing one. This gives the users the opportunity to use software by paying for it a fee without having to install it on their PCs. Such companies are called applications service providers, and they now are gaining a lot of popularity.

Writing Web Applications

There are technologies which give the programmers the opportunity to specify an excellent description of the programs. These are alleviated by web application frameworks. In the future you’ll be able to develop an application directly on the Internet Operating Systems.
Using web application frameworks makes the code being written simpler and in the same time it lets you pay more attention on the framework itself. In addition, this usually helps you to make fewer mistakes when you’re writing a program. With Internet applications, which are vulnerable to being hacked, there are a lot of errors in the program which lead to problems in the security.
There are projects such as the Web Application Security Consortium, which take care of decreasing the problems in web applications and even making them without problems. Even there is software which finds the problems in the applications.

Applications

The browser applications consist of simple elements and sometimes can have more complex elements such as Design software, project management software and others.

Benefits

The applications usually need almost no disk space, they improve themselves mechanically, and they incorporate into web procedures with ease. They are compatible with both Mac and Windows, because the operations are in the browser, and do not depend on the operating system.

Disadvantages

Standards compliances aren’t a usual document program and it can cause problems when you distribute and this makes the cooperation critical. In addition, browser applications depend on files maintained on remote servers. That is why when you get disconnected you cannot use the application, until you connect again.