ASP versus PC - Industry Trend or Event

Home Office Computing, March, 2001 by Eric Grevstad

We put Web-based software to the test to find what can--and can't--replace PC programs in your home office

EVERYONE AGREES THE INTERNET CHANGES EVERYTHING; it's just that no one's sure what that includes. You've heard predictions, for instance, that info from the Web delivered to your computer screen will replace your newspaper, TV, and radio. But could it replace your computer itself?

That's the conundrum behind today's hottest computing concept--tapping an application service provider (ASP) to access programs and data from any device, instead of applications on a PC. You don't have to worry about installing, maintaining, and upgrading software. You "rent" programs on the ASP's servers, which keep your files and data in a private, password-secure area.

Now you can get work done with any Web browser, from laptop to public library. Colleagues can access shared information--they can synchronize calendars or collaborate on a report. Instead of paying for a powerful PC and software suite, you can use an older system or Web access device and pay low monthly fees--or, if you don't mind banner ads, enjoy dozens of services for free.

When you think about the potential for any home office worker to grab business tools once found only on costly corporate servers, the ASP idea sounds great. When you think about the last time your Internet service provider (ISP) took two minutes to load a Web page and then dumped you offline, it sounds awful--and even worse when you count the ASP casualties among the dot-bomb bubble burst of recent months. We spent a month sampling a variety of the ASPs available, from bare-bones online calendars to full-strength Microsoft Office programs. The first thing to say is that we used a cable modem--even ASP vendors will admit that all but the simplest services demand broadband instead of 56Kbps-or-slower dial-up connections. And we found a vast variety of services. Some were clumsy disappointments, but some were pleasant surprises.

STARTING SIMPLY

Chances are, you subscribe to at least one ASP--a free Web-based e-mail provider such as Mail.com, MSN Hotmail (www.hotmail.com), or one of many small freemailers (like www.care2.com, which contributes to environmental causes).

All but a few services (like vJungle.com) append an advertising tag line to each message that detracts from your businesslike image, but the ability to send, receive, and reply to e-mail from any browser makes a free account a handy backup to your regular ISP mail. Most let you maintain a one-click contact list or address book; the best can also consolidate or fetch e-mail from several accounts (though typically not AOL's proprietary mail system).

Another popular consumer ASP is calendaring--logging onto a Web site to check, add, or edit appointments and to-do list items. Compared to a PC-based personal information manager (PIM), a free service like Yahoo Calendar (calendar.yahoo.com) or Excite Planner (planner.excite.com) feels sluggish; switching from a daily to weekly view, for example, can take 10 seconds instead of an instant.

But it's convenient, especially when able (as most are) to synchronize with a desktop PIM like Microsoft Outlook or a handheld PDA--indeed, the excellent AnyDay.com has been purchased by Palm Inc. and reborn as MyPalm, with special features for owners of wireless Palm VII organizers. And it's even more convenient when you and coworkers can set up a group calendar, checking each other's availability and e-mailing invitations to meetings. When.com offers separate personal and group calendars; ScheduleOnline.com emphasizes the latter.

Almost as ubiquitous, in both personal and team versions, are ASPs offering online file storage--a place to upload or save documents which you can access from any computer, without having to carry disks around. Designating files or folders for shared access lets you and others take turns updating a contact list, collaborate on a proposal in progress, or swap digital photos. About the only thing these sites can't do is speed up the tedium of transferring large files over a slow modem.

Most free sites offer 10MB to 25MB of online storage, with more available for a modest fee. Storage specialists like Driveway (www.driveway.com), SwapDrive (www.swapdrive.com), and Xdrive Express (www.xdrive.com) offer a choice of browser-based upload/download menus or client software that puts your virtual drive on your Windows desktop for drag-and-drop transfers. (Note: Many ASPs, including storage, are designed to work better with Windows and Microsoft's Internet Explorer than the Mac OS or Netscape browser, though plenty support the latter, and Apple's iDisk is a virtual storage site just for Mac users.)

THE SWEET SPOT(S)

Combine the above tools--e-mail, address book, calendar and to-do management, and online storage space--and you've got today's quintessential ASP offering: a Web-based desktop, often designed to be your browser startup page or Internet portal, that aims to keep you organized and ready to work wherever you go.