Let’s face it, the web has pretty much hit its boundary – and it seems like no one is really doing anything about it.  We use the same browser for pretty much the same actions, they just are prettier and the page doesn’t quite reload as much as it used to.  We still form post the same way.  We enter data the same way.  Most importantly, we upload files the same way.

The web is stagnant.

I don’t care how nifty you can make it look, windows scaling, bitmap processing, dhtml text effects, page transitions, floating div’s in css, whatever you want to say — the web has been the same for a long time, it is just finally mature enough to need to break out of its shell.

We are bound by the way our browsers function — Want to upload 5 files, or download 5 files?

Click, browse for file, OK.
Click, browse for file, OK.
Click, browse for file, OK.
Click, browse for file, OK.
Click, browse for file, OK.
Submit.

This is more of like a button-mash then a mash-up.

The web needs Apollo badly.  The desktop doesn’t need Apollo as much as the web does.  There are already plenty of projector programs that will do this much better then Apollo will (cue flames).  Apollo however, will be one of the first initiatives to bring the web out of it’s very defined boundaries.

Let’s imagine a drag-and-drop file browser, but located online.  How many of you have been to a client network where they are storing all their files via a filesystem.  No metadata attached to the files, you have to do a search on file name, no project documentation embedded in the file structure.  You have to go around looking for the readme.txt.

This to me is what web 2.0 should solve.  Sure we want nice pretty simple interfaces, but we want tackle the items that really can make a difference in peoples’ lives.

Apollo can solve this problem.  By having an online application that still uses AJAX, HTML, but *also* has ability to drag/drop files onto a browser — boy, this opens up so many doors.  Now I can upload files to the server with drag/drop, tag the files with more relevant information, know who uploaded it, store revision information, have comments the project or folder embedded — even a CVS could be integrated.  This is where web development should be heading, not on issues relating to page refresh.  This is where true power lies, truly remote applications within a browser.  Real mash-ups of a simple things that would make everyone’s lives easier.  Most importantly, I’m sick of seeing .ds_store files.

Better collaboration requires better methods for the dealing with “web actions”.

My prayer is that Apollo tackles these online problems.  A nice projector software may be nice, but in no way do I think it is as important as expanding the horizons of what the web can do.  I love Flash for so many things, but I think that this Apollo release is more important than any standard Flash Plug-in release.

graphics are great.  but F graphics.  I want truly new web functionality.