Services that try to recreate the desktop experience within the browser (so-called “webtops” or “Web OSs”) often lead to head scratching. If you’re already running a real operating system, what’s the point of emulating one with Flash or Ajax?
Sure, there are benefits to running all of your personal computing in the cloud: files can be shared more easily, pseudo-desktop software can be updated automatically, and files won’t be lost if your hardware melts down. Perhaps most significantly, you can use your “computer” even when not at your computer.
But those advantages are often insufficient in the face of decreased responsiveness, total lockout when you can’t find a hotspot, and a dearth of applications that are good enough to replace the ones you’ve already learned.
So it’s a bit of fresh air to hear about StartForce, a webtop with modest short-term ambitions. Unlike other consumer-focused offerings such as Jooce, Goowy (acquired by AOL) and G.ho.st, StartForce is marketing itself toward enterprises that care about both remote connectivity and data security - two goals that often come into conflict.
Anyone can sign up and start using StartForce by going to its website (works best in Firefox 3). The real product, however, consists of an enterprise version for corporations that pay for support on a per-seat, usage basis. Since the enterprise version debuted last month, four companies have signed up with a total of about 1,000 seats.
The idea is that corporations can use StartForce (as a cheap alternative to solutions like VPN) to provide their employees with access to sensitive data while on the road. File servers, directories and other intranet resources can be made accessible and modifiable through StartForce. But IT managers can choose to restrict or prohibit downloads, thereby preventing mischief while ensuring access to these critical assets from any browser-enabled device. StartForce is powered by Ajax, so not even the Flash plugin is needed.
While StartForce has built out its own suite of applications for documents, music, instant messaging and more, it has also developed an API for incorporating 3rd-party web services like Zoho and EditGrid. And somewhere down the line, this API will be made publicly available so that anyone can integrate their apps into StartForce (such as Picnik for image editing), thereby preventing it from becoming a walled garden.
StartForce has raised $1 million from Japanese investors Mitsui Ventures and NGI Capital. It is currently looking to raise another round from American investors.
Also see Xcerion, an impressive WebOS out of Sweden with a particular disposition toward developers.
Mark that was soooooo well written. A long overdue analysis of the failings webtop ventures thus far!!!
You speak the truth!
I’m actually implementing a webtop in sitespaces.net tonight with window.js.
The thing you fail to mention is that all these companies including Jooce where I almost became a manager after a meeting with Mauro Mariani,
is that these companies are all trying to START with a webtop, and then build on THAT.
What if a social network already full of members ADDED a webtop as an extra feature? Where the users would DISCOVER an added bonus to their experience.
I can’t say I know what will happen, but my implementation should be done in about 3 days.
If the users hate it I will simply turn the functionality off with a flag and all will return to normal. When ALL YOU HAVE is the webtop, and you have to disable it, you are left with nothing.
Chris this is already happening. Sms.ac was a social network with about 50 million registered users (probably about half were active)… They made the corporate name switch to Fanbox.com when they released their web-based operating system. Hence, they converted all of their user profiles into start pages for their web based operating system. Interesting business model also - they rely upon 3rd part developers to provide apps for the web OS. They’ve also monetized where the developers get paid a percentage of their app if somebody purchases it. That way, the developers are at least getting paid some percentage for their hard work. http://www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?rta=blog
@3, thank you. I will research that. I am actually providing a webOS home page to my Social network because I am repackaging it as a script for people to white label it. I figure the more Web 2.0 it looks the better chance I will have to blow PHPFox out of the water. I was the main developer behind PHPmail too. And when I started that out hivemail was the script to beat. Eventually I destroyed both socketmail and hivemail and sold out for almost a quarter M(which the govt and the legal expenses mostly took).
But that was Canada, and now I’m not in Canada anymore.
But I thank you so much for the info. The more I can research this, the better script I can package and the more I can sell and the more money I can get.
Where’s the SSL you freaking losers?
Enterprise? With NO SSL? GET LOST.
No SSL? Cheap. Idiots.
@5
“The idea is that corporations can use StartForce (as a cheap alternative to solutions like VPN)”
He did say “cheap”
Unsecured wireless is a “cheap” solution to WPA. Those CAs can be mighty expensive! Just look at Shuttleworth
http://www.space.com/missionla.....chive.html
He made enough money off of certs that he got to go to space!
@3 - Didn’t Fanbox turn into some sort of spam? Few months ago, I started receiving email mentioning someone added me as their friend and I don’t even know them. I’m sure others had the same issue. Here’s an example of someone trying to figure out this fanbox mystery
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....606AAaMXe1
Fanbox could’ve used their webtop differently, but it’s sad to see they falling on the wrong channel.
@7
http://answers.google.com/answ.....w?id=86317
Reminds me of that.
kepler.ss.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowLpllcAllList?QueryLpllcNumber=200113410087
I don’t think fanbox is going to get the same result though.
http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/corpda.....0113410087
MySpace started out as a 8M mailing list purchased from XDrive, but they were also heavily cited for spam. It didn’t end up mattering because as part of the deal with Newscorp, they were shielded from further action based on that and the spyware. That’s part of why they sold it out so cheap.(apparently)
>> is that these companies are all trying to START with a webtop, and then build on THAT. @Chris I think that one is are bang on.
The idea of a webos is ill-conceived and offers no value unless it exists to support something substantial. Sorry kids, I’m not talking about clocks, calculators and music players either.
It took us a year to build our application and 2 days to integrate it into a (webtop) shell to host it. Together they work extremely well, but that’s because there is a lot happening in our world already e.g. multiple integrated applications, related Google services, etc). Every one of our customers thinks of http://joblogs.cc as an application first and sees the shell as just a familiar structure to work in and pull it together nicely. I doubt many companies will get away with this; who wants every app to look like a different desktop…but since there aren’t any leaders to work with we’ll jump in the race and take the business space
@10,
That looks really slick. I always appreciate good photoshopping skills because I don’t have any. The only thing that sticks out at me is the .cc domain.
I know a lot of people treat that as the plague. .net is barely passable unless you have some del.icio.us type word going on.
I’m just going to hire designers to do templates for ours because you really have to be a graphic designer to make something look like that.
The Safari and FF support only may turn off people too. A lot of people still use IE, believe it or not. My site is up to about 60% Firefox, but I still have a good 30 on IE.
@Chris … tx. We do fully support IE (even 6! - showing my age), just our small bit to help improve those who are less fortunate to know better (our clients don’t blink an eye to switch once they’ve seen the system in action). If someone has to carve a name for .cc, hey why not us. btw cc was the name of the first custom developed program I ever used, written by an old friend. He said he named it that because it was short, easy to type, and C is what he was using at the time.
“We do fully support IE (even 6! - showing my age)”
I used to use IE4. Before that I used DOS and before that city bulletin boards on my C64 2400 baud modem.
.cc is the file extension for C++ files on Unix. That’s besides the point. Some people, and yes, they are thick, but are the majority, think that if you have a .cc domain you could not afford the .com or something and they equate that to inferiority.
I have ip1.cc and ip2.cc, and I only used them for development accounts. So I am no stranger to .cc, it’s just that there is that stigma. The domain squatters and the big name auctions like pizza.com creditcards.com ect.. do not help.
http://www.x.com/
I bet you didn’t know paypal had x.com ?
Most of the really big companies have the 2 letter .com’s. It wasn’t a big deal in the mid 90s but now they’re anal about it and it trickles down. I have employsoft.com if you ever want a mirror domain. It’s not much, but I don’t use it anymore.
@3 and others.
fanbox, facebook, friendster, hi5 and certainly myspace send a lot of emails - at least their users do. mySpace was the first soc net to really take off (unless you count friendster’s massive crash). next came facebook, and they did a great job in the college market.
Now fanbox has their twist. after reading #3, i took a look and it seems interesting. there is a lot of improvement that is needed, but a very cool concept. their alexa looks promising, but I havn’t heard of them.
also, as a developer I like the idea of making money. are they another opensocial bunch? who funded them? techcrunch, help???
Hi,
Personally i have an account at StartForce.com, so hearing that they are going Enterprise sounds good - i started out with orcadesktop, that later was merged with StartForce and have allways found this to be a good sollution while on the road.
good work startforce, keep it up!
Startforce is available in Japanese here: http://gol.startforce.jp/
I am surprised that StarForce is just now being mentioned on TechCrunch. It has been around for a very long time, and it has seen few changes. Including change of name, after it was acquired. If I can recall correctly, the original name of the platform was Orca Desktop.
http://www.orcadesktop.dk/
I always found it to be better than most webtop platforms on the web.
Another, highly customizable, webtop is https://www.youos.com/
Hi…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Thursday .
I tried Fanbox.
It’s ok, but that’s NOT what I mean. On SiteSpaces.net when I finish next week you will be able to drag & drop ANY box on your own home page.
You will ALSO be able to visit any profile and drag anything on somebody’s profile and have it persist the next time you visit that profile. Say somebody has an annoying MySpace style page on SiteSpaces.net with lots of annoying flash. You will be able to close those windows and modify the profile the way you like it with a gui.
The next time you visit X annoying page it will be the way you left it.
You will be able to customize any page on the website, only for you.
I have to finish the videos section then I am implementing this.
What I am doing is bleeding edge. I may not have the same funding but I have more than enough talent to make up for entire teams at other social networks.
can try this one too:
http://www.oodesk.com
faster i have tried!
We have been using http://www.digitalbucket.net as a tool for sharing content throughout a distributed network of franchisees. We had originally intended to use sharepoint, but digitalbucket provided everything we needed with a much lighter weight startup and training cost. Plus, it is a very elegent implementation.
I think one of the keys here for the vendors in the webtop space is to focus on the acutal usage scenarios for the technology vs. just focusing on the features and functions of the technology………..