The Future of Consumer Software

Web services enthusiasts paint a picture of the future in which savvy, Web-connected users won't license software for use on their home computer, but instead, will connect to a Web service via a persistent, reliable, high-speed Internet connection and license the software on a rental or subscription basis. Fortunately, the deployment architectures presented here, which are currently most applicable to enterprise-class software, will guide you in navigating this brave new Web services world.

Like enterprises , users will make their deployment choices based on the quality of the solution, not on the technology powering it. For people like me, who rely on their laptop during international travel, the thought of using software only via an Internet connection seems a bit crazyperhaps in the future, but certainly not now. However, for many, accessing software via a trusted vendor through the Internet is very appealing. I'd like to see certain data, such as financial records, properly maintained for the rest of my life. Other data, such as my digital photos, I want to be shared, making a Web services model a natural fit. Because of these forces, and others that will emerge, I envision a complex environment for consumer software like that for enterprise-class software, creating very interesting choices and tradeoffs for marketects, tarchitects, and their customers.