What is Web 2.0?
"Web 2.0 is the business revolution caused by the move to the internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."
- quote from Nathan Torkington of O'Reilly media
The Web 2.0 story is built on a number of key trends, each of which leads to the next:
- Applications have moved to the web. This frees companies from having to ship executables around the world on discs.
- These applications ranging from Salesforce to Gmail, have evolved rich interfaces and resemble desktop applications.
- These applications are built with the intention of letting individuals and companies access and manipulate their data without the data being forced onto the same hard drive as the application.
- That data accessible via the web is not merely unlocked from a particular hard drive; it is now available from any device with a connection to the net.
- Because the applications are served centrally, developers can continuously improve their applications and enjoy a competitive advantage from doing so.
- Because the data used by these applications is stored centrally, rather than on a particular device, developers can use aggregated data to make applications better for all comers. Web 2.0 moves the focus from someone else's application to your data.
These trends are all powerful, fueling the current boom or bubble. The trends are simple, and easily explained, but have major impact in creating new opportunities for business. Every step in the move to web applications responds to the need from users and customers. Web 2.0 is not a cloud of random concepts. It describes the natural consequences of the movement of applications from the desktop to the web.