Browser? Application? Brapp?
Google Docs, etc. are beginning to change the way users think about applications. Now, instead of an OS-dedicated application that runs from your desktop (and costs hundreds of dollars), you can do many of the same jobs online through your browser…regardless of the platform you use. That’s a good thing.
What hasn’t been so good is that many of the more advanced online apps can crash your browser. Or more common, a non-compliant site will crash it WHILE you’re doing something else in another window or tab. For instance, you’re writing in Google Docs and surf over to a site for reference…bang. The site crashes the browser and your doc goes away with it.
Mozilla Labs has an answer: Prism, the app formerly known as Webrunner. Prism lets you split out web applications from your browser and run them on the desktop. So, online apps become integrated into your desktop experience and can be launched, manipulated and used almost like any other app. Anything that runs in a modern standards-compliant browser works…which means java, flash, CSS and other popular technologies.
Want your email window open while you browse? Launch your Gmail app. Editing a photo while searching for clipart? Open your FotoFlexer app. Keeping tabs on your social buddies while on the company intranet? Launch your Facebook app. You get the idea.
You really have to try this to see the possibilities. Learn more about it and download Prism for mac, windows or linux here. Get a few more takes on Prism here, here and here.
On a mac? Get a mac-OS specific version called Fluid here.