I was doing a Web 2.0 workshop last week and brought up Photoshop Express, the new, free, online photo editor. Imagine my delight when I saw the new resizing tool — this was the one feature I thought this tool was really missing! I shrieked with glee upon see it.
This brought up one of the great things about Web 2.0 tools — they are not constrained in the way that traditional boxed software is. They can add features, respond to user comments, and evolve as necessary, even daily. (In the old days of software, we had to wait until those 25,000 CDs were gone before we could update things.) And that is just what we are seeing in tools like Photoshop Express, the Google tool suite, and others.
Of course, this can be challenging in terms of staying up-t0-date, especially for those who are offering professional development. It is making printed user manuals a thing of the past and wiki-driven PD a must. But I like wikis better anyway, so I say, bring on the change!
Of course, another problem, besides trying to keep yourself up-to-date is if the Web app takes away features and offers them for a fee or becomes full of ads to make money. Even worse, they can disappear from the web all too easily, like the iPod creation Web app Mogopop. In that case, change is not good. 🙂
Luckily, there are thousands of Web apps and if one goes under, there are usual other ones that do something similar.
Good point. That is why I am going more and more toward free and open tools. These will *always* be free.