Browser Bloat and Server Shrink: Where the Web Waxes and Wanes

David Strom, 516 944 3407

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Summary

• Web trends
• Browser issues
• Server issues
• Netscape vs. Microsoft

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Web trends

• Trend 1: Server integrated into the OS
• Trend 2: Browser becomes its own OS
• Trend 3: Better database/web integration
• Trend 4: New model for cost of web ownership
• Trend 5: Many products, few are useful
• Trend 6: HTML as the universal GUI

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Trend 1: Server integrated into the OS

Lots of OS's now come with web servers:

• NT v4
• Cyberdog
• Caldera
• NetWare 4.11

Dichotomy between file sharing and HTTP services still an issue though

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Trend 2: Browser becomes its own OS

• Plug in plaza
• Java applets, add-ons too!
• Explorer-like GUI for Msoft IE
• Help files now in HTML instead of man pages (Caldera)

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Trend 3: Better database/web integration

• Java has all the press, but people want database access!
• Three different types:
• gateways like IIS, Purveyor
• "suites" like Cold Fusion,
• Quest development environments like Sapphire
• WebSite Pro bundling Cold Fusion notable
• Better tools and information
• Still need fair level of knowledge of SQL, HTML, CGI...

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Trend 4: New model for cost of web ownership

• Web browser -- $/seat dropping to $0.
• Web server -- $0 is also a nice round no.
• Upgrades du jour are where the real costs lie
• Time to download, install software nontrivial

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Trend 5: Many products, few are useful

• New products daily that are web-related
• Intranet has become overused
• New software categories for the most part are useless

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Lots of innovation happening, but...

• Vast majority of web pages are still static text
• "Forgotten masses" of lynx users are still out there
• Lowest common denominator features still rules
• Low bandwidth users are ignored as a design point

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New categories of useless software

• Offline browsers
• Bookmark managers
• Web mappers
• HTML editors that don't do tables or v3 tags right
• HTML editors that do tables
• Build your own web tools

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Good signs:

• Web-based discussion groups (RadNet, DEC)
• Intermind
• WebTrends log analyzer

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Trend 6: HTML as the universal GUI

• Routers, printers, and calendars
• Benefits: Products are interoperable across platforms
• No heavy lifting for programmers
• No extra end-user software
• End users can roam about the enterprise

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HTML as GUI: drawbacks

• Limited controls and dialogs available
• Not many understand HTML design
• Not all products work with HTML GUI

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For more information

check out http://www.strom.com/browsergui.html

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Browser issues

• More <tags>! Too many proprietary extensions
• More RAM!
• Built-in support for dynamic content
• Bundled collaboration tools (not built-in yet)

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Collaboration tools

• Cooltalk (NSCP)
• NetMeeting (Msoft)
• I-phones (VocalTec et al)

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RAM browser bloat

Web browsers continue to consume RAM and disk storage!

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Server issues

• More features that will never be used by most
• HTML-based admin tools No. of shareware products increasing
• No. of commercial products decreasing
• Lack of integrated management tools
• Better database integration
• NT and Unix have become clear leaders

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Match the server OS with its best features

• Mac: Scripting, editing tools, ease of installation
• NT: ease of configuration, wide range of tools
• Unix: most bulletproof, integrated
• NetWare: files and NDS integration

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Who has the fastest web server?

• What are you really measuring
• Different schools of thought:
• Web66
• Webstone
• Real clients and pages
• Latency vs. connection capacity
• How many elements are on YOUR pages?

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Netscape vs. Microsoft

• It isn't a two-sided battle, but...
• Both have mindshare for browsers, servers
• Both are focused on each other's products