It's a pitty that more developers don't see the advantages of web based applications. All applications from calendars to accouting suites could benifit from the many advantages of web based applications:
- Data is centrally stored for protection.
- Authentication and access can be tightly controlled.
- Easily accessable from any internet connection you wish. No problems with customer sites blocking out bound VPN access if your application runs on HTTPS
- If you avoid the common mistake of using client side java then there are no issues with browser or platform compatability. From Windows to Apple to Linux to PDA all have access to the data.
- All upgrades from features to performance are done on the server only. No need to touch any clients.
I know I'm repeating some of what has already been said but I feel you can't overstate the advantages of the browser based application. The cost savings are far to great.