AJAX: Ready to take on the old guard?
Published: 03 Oct 2005 16:55 BST
An emerging Web development technique promises to shake up the status quo in PC software and blur the line between desktop and Web applications.
Over the years, desktop applications tied to a specific operating system have become entrenched as the main way to work on a computer. AJAX, a set of development techniques standardised over the past eight years, could change all that by bringing more sophisticated interfaces to Web applications. With that, backers are hoping it can open a crack in the dominance of desktop software like Microsoft's Office, the undisputed market leader.
"This is a space that's crying out for innovation," said Scott Dietzen, president of messaging start-up Zimbra. "At this point, there isn't a company that's up to challenging Microsoft. But we're out to change that."
On Monday, closely watched Zimbra plans to outline its business model and to announce that it has secured $16m (£9.1m) in venture funding at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. The San Mateo, California-based company said it will launch its email server software as a free open source edition next month. Customers can pay a yearly subscription fee for updates and support, and a higher-end version will be available for a price.
Zimbra is one of a growing number of companies that are betting that AJAX will turn out to be more than just a catchy abbreviation. In the development style, programmers use a number of standards-based technologies, notably JavaScript and XML, to write applications. Many Web entrepreneurs and established software providers are hoping that AJAX can reinvigorate the PC software business by marrying the graphical user interface of desktop computers with the benefits of the Web.
Clearly, nobody expects AJAX-style applications — just now entering the market — to overtake Office anytime soon. Microsoft has long controlled more than 90 percent of the desktop software market, and the company's Information Worker unit, which includes Office and related tools, generated more than $11bn in revenue — more than one quarter of Microsoft's total revenue in fiscal year 2005, according to the company.
But companies like Zimbra are paving the way for others to enter a market long thought to be stagnant.
"My sense is that we're just...
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