Companies including Microsoft and Adobe are providing ways to run apps both online and off All too often we hear the virtues of cloud computing and the joys of Web-based applications that allow users to access their data and apps no matter where they are. However, there are some negative aspects to living in the clouds. For example, what happens if you aren’t able to access the Internet? Or in cases where a browser window is closed, how do you receive notifications and reminders? So, some developers are working on a middle ground: offline Web applications.[ Find out what cloud computing really means. ]Microsoft has been stepping into this arena with its release of Silverlight. Silverlight is a browser plug-in, much like Flash, which opens up a ton of opportunities to build significantly rich Internet applications (RIAs) with experiences that run cross-platform and cross-browser. Silverlight can handle offline or partially connected applications because the applications execute in a sandbox on the client and can function while disconnected from the Internet. There are other vendors focused on delivering offline apps using different methods. One such company is Adobe Systems, which has Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR). AIR is a runtime environment (like Java) that allows developers to create RIAs that run in the AIR regardless of the platform, so long as the platform (Mac, Linux, Windows, etc.) supports AIR. Developers can create applications using a mixture of JavaScript, HTML, and Flash. The result is an application that can run both online or off.There are several benefits to a connection point between the Internet cloud and your desktop. First of all, the applications can pull content from the Internet and work off the cloud but still reside on the desktop, maintaining a small footprint. With AIR being based on HTML and Flash, it becomes easier for applications to swap content with sites and will make development easier.So I decided to give it a try. I downloaded Adobe AIR, then went over to the Adobe AIR Marketplace to locate an application or two. What impressed me initially is that the AIR application (which was an e-learning tool for recorded online Webinars) didn’t look like a Web app. It seemed like a standard desktop application, but with a little more pizzazz actually — somewhat futuristic looking and what you might hope for with all apps going forward. I was also pleased with the versatility of the applications, everything from a Nasdqa Market Replay tool to an eBay Desktop tool (to bring the auction marketplace beyond the browser, allowing for searches and alerts — one of the concerns I mentioned earlier), to media players, e-learning tools, and much more.What makes AIR unique though is that it offers the full package of RIAs, offline Internet applications, and a cross-platform runtime all in one. It has competitors on the market but none that offer all the elements in one package. Competition includes the aforementioned Microsoft Silverlight, Google Gears, Mozilla Prism, and Sun JavaFX.Without promoting any one of these technologies (although my colleagues Tom Yager and Galen Gruman think Adobe AIR is the one to bet on, while Martin Heller disagrees), I can see how this is a positive direction for the enterprise. For one thing, it’s important to begin the development of richer applications for the Modern Age, newer ways of relying more on the Internet cloud while still being able to work with fully functional apps. Second, I believe cloud computing and SaaS (software as a service) options relieve much of the stress on modern networks have because they hold all the data, e-mail services, and so forth in-house. Pushing more into the cloud is the better approach, but not without a middle set of apps that can allow users to function regardless of their connection to the cloud. We will have to wait and see how these technologies all play out in our modern-day technology troposphere. Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business