Web 2.0 and the Next Internet

 
We’ve seen the dotcom bubble crash, many thought that the Internet is over hyped and dotcom business models do not work. What really happened is a market consolidation after the start of a new industrial wave, where the bad eggs went out and the good ones stayed, while others came along and innovated new ways and ideas that changed and will change our life at home, at work, or in the road, forever.
The internet is changing our lives and business practice; it is the biggest social and market place with 1 billion users’ world wide and growing. Today, new breed of companies is using Web 2.0 concept and new technologies to capitalize on new opportunities.

The concept of "Web 2.0" began with a conference brainstorming session between O’Reilly and MediaLive International.
According to Wikipedia, Web 2.0 generally refers to “to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that let people collaborate, and share information online. In contrast to the first generation, Web 2.0 gives users an experience closer to desktop applications than the traditional static Web pages.”

For example, on Writely which is one of dozens of companies that are infusing once-static Web pages with the power, speed, and features of sophisticated desktop applications. There’s no waiting around for the webpage to refresh (even worse for those of you that still use dial-up!), thanks to AJAX. Another “quality” of Web 2.0 is that users can interact with the page itself and other users instantly.

Ajax according to Wikipedia is an acronym of Asynchronous JavaScript And XML, Ajax (Pronounced A-jacks), is a Web development technique for creating interactive web applications. The intent is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire Web page does not have to be reloaded each time the user makes a change. This is meant to increase the Web page’s interactivity, speed, and usability.

Writely, recently acquired by Google, allows its members to use desktop applications, such as Microsoft Word, on the net, without having to actually buy the program. It also allows its members to collaborate on a document and changes show up in real-time.

 From the Desktop to the Webtop 

We’re entering an unprecedented period of user interface innovation, as web developers are finally able to build web applications as rich as local PC-based applications.

We expect to see many new web applications over the next few years.  And one day the web will be the platform for al sort of computing applications.

One of the defining characteristics of internet era software is that it is delivered as a service, not as a product. This fact leads to a number of fundamental changes in the business model of many companies such as Microsoft.

Salesforce, Netsuite,  and Oracle OnDemand, are other examples of webtop apps, where Salesforce.com demonstrates how the web can be used to deliver software as a service, in enterprise scale applications such as CRM.

This resembles the end of the software release cycle, instead of developing version of the software and selling them, they are being added instantly to the web app.

MS responds to this threat to its business model by rolling out Windows Live, Office Live, and other Next Net-centric software, it hopes to grab a dominant — if not monopolistic — share of the webtop, which Bill Gates regards as a crucial strategic priority.
When I 1^st used the Internet back in 1996 I used hotmail, I had that vision of the webtop, and one day all apps will be web-based. I started to think about starting a business to capitalize on the new opportunities. I first worked on an online consumer portal, and then I switched to Corporate portal and e-business suite project back in 1999.  I tried to assemble a team and get venture backing. I had few meetings with 3 other guys hopping to develop the business with them, but they lost internets in the project and started thinking about starting different ventures -without me. After the dot com bubble burst in 2000 it was even harder to get funding. So I killed the project and focused in something else.

 Web-tune, Net-tune.

Soon the internet will be always available and wide spread like electricity and the telephone tune, but even more mobile, anywhere @ any time in Any device. With the wide spread of broadband access like DSL this is happing today, and with the growth and infiltration of Wi-Fi hot spots(It enables a person with a wireless-enabled computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) to connect to the Internet when in proximity of an access point. The geographical region covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot, Normally few meters) and WiMax (acronym that stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Acces  WiMAX is a standards-based wireless technology that provides high-throughput broadband connections over long distances around 30 kilometers, in contrast to Wi-Fi, which is seen more as a short-range solution for hot spots like coffeehouses, offices, and homes), it is taking the net to the other level.

There were 95.5 million broadband users in the United States during February according to Nielsen//Netratings.

More over, today, Cities across the United States are planning and building wide area wireless services –hotspots- that offer low-cost broadband Internet access to residents-( look at Google, EarthLink to Unwire SF), while startups and private companies across the world are developing and deploying WiMax networks across the spectrum, in Jordan Batelco is currently testing its WiMax network.

 This is leading to the conversion of voice data, and video. Your cell phone will be voice over IP (VOIP) equipped and you will get cheap calls not via your mobile operator traditional network but via the Internet through Wi-Fi hotspots and WiMax networks.

This starting to happen today you have Skype –fee PC-to PC calls- and you have cell vendors launching mobile devices Wi-Fi enabled, 20 million Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones will go on sale worldwide this year, according to Redherring.

“Next-generation communication devices will look and feel similar to the legacy devices they are replacing, with some fundamental differences. Phone numbers are not going away anytime soon, but they will one day be replaced by an identifier that resembles an e-mail address, i.e. mohammad@maktoob.com. This address is far more powerful than a standard telephone number. It allows for flexible policy and user tracking. It can receive voice calls, video-conferencing requests, instant messages, and even standard e-mail.” According to Ooma’s website.

“Another characteristic that will become more and more common in next-generation telephones is the presence of a video camera and screen. With the proliferation of high-speed Internet into homes, video-conferencing is closer to becoming a reality,” This is what a startup called Ooma, Inc. is developing.

The Next Net

 As RedHerring reported in its April 10, 2006 Print Issue:

“Today’s devices will disappear. Electronics will instead be embedded in our environment, woven into our clothing, and written directly to our retinas from eyeglasses and contact lenses.

We will know exactly when our children will be dropped off because the school bus will be connected to the Internet, and our cars might one day arrange for repairs at dealerships before we realize there’s a problem.

Everything from the family fridge to the office coffee pot—as well as heating, cooling, and security systems—will be managed through the Internet, possibly using souped-up mobile phones doubling as universal remote controls, . By 2016 the online population of 1 billion will treble, and a huge portion will be mobile. And by then, the Internet will become so pervasive that connecting to it will no longer be a conscious act.

 Bandwidth access of 100 megabits per second or more will become the norm. “, “the concept of who is online and who is offline will melt away,” said –to readherring- Bradley Horowitz, Yahoo’s director of media and desktop search.”