Breaking the Browser Barrier with APIs

All browsers were created for the basic task of allowing users to look up information online and communicate. But as browsers evolved into something powerful, more activities have become possible. Games, real time voice and video communication and other heavy tasks can happen without the help of a single software.

An application on a desktop for a specific task should be able to do those tasks with a breeze. But as already indicated, an application developed for a specific task is very limited and can take up resources on the local gadget. But if these tasks are taken to the browser, users will no longer have to use separate applications for various tasks - a browser should be more than enough.

Ambitious but Possible

Placing the computing responsibilities on a browser seemed like a very daunting task. A single application (the browser) as the host of thousands of other applications could easily put a toll on a single application.

But current versions of various browsers have proven their ability to do just that with relative ease. Google was able to implement video conference without too much fanfare because of its ability to integrate in various browsers (including IE). Live video conferencing is even possible without a single download required from users.

Cloud? Not so Much

Of course, all these are possible because of the extensive use of cloud computing. As long as developers are able to create a powerful code that will interact with users, the application would be possible. This is where JavaScript comes in.

As developers wanted to create full interaction with users, JavaScript is used for client side interaction with relative ease. Libraries and frameworks were created specifically to provide these functions to enable applications with absolutely no requirement from users.

But cloud computing have too many requirements from users. Aside from a powerful internet connection, users should have a powerful local gadget to deal with these processes. Although everything can be done in the cloud, users still need to have a powerful gadget to enable these processes. Running powerful online applications is not possible without some help from the user's end.

Still, the future of cloud computing has been clearly established simply because of access to technology that should run client side application easier. From powerful mobile phones to inexpensive netbooks, users can practically access the online applications with relative ease.

The Middle Way

But developers have found a good way to improve users experience without requiring heavy resource from users: application specific API. An API practically becomes a software but instead of proper installation on the desktop, the API is merely added in the browser.

It's not like an add-on for Mozilla (which requires updating) but a simple tool that will improve user experience on a specific task. The API can practically change the user experience of browsers soon. Cloud computing is still years ahead because of the technical requirements but an API in the browser could create the possibility of "applications in a browser" today.