As a user of web-based applications, think back to a time when you had to install an executable file on top of the web-app, simply to use the program. The age of having users unpack anything locally that is required to work in tandem on the web is quickly becoming, if not already, a last-century method of deployment. Since the birth of the consumer web in the mid 90s however, even then early adopters like Hotmail recognized that anyone who signed up for an online email account should be able to access it online, from anywhere… period. full stop.
A few years down the road, more current, new-wave, web-based executables or ‘plug-ins’ such as flash are still operating on this same legacy mindset and while not a traditional desktop executable, they still serve the same purpose as being a 3rd-party tie-in. Today, most of the applications which we use are distributed and managed solely in the cloud through the software-as-a-service platform such as database/CRM (Salesforce), billing (Zuora), marketing (Eloqua) and yes, email. Due to this fact most enterprise-class users expect that any web-based application they pay for will be ready to go, simply by having a browser. There are a multitude of reasons why this just makes sense, but the most common include multiple-device management (with multiple O/S), a single vendor experience and the widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets. Going a step further, would it be a benefit to both your users and clients if they could not only collaborate, but actually see what the other user is typing, pointing or browsing?
The True Meaning Of Interactive
Interactivity has evolved over the years, with each iteration more true to life than the next. In the early personal computing era, the Commodore Vic-20 used a hardware modem connecting the user through a terminal emulator called VicTerm, giving us connectivity to the world at 300 baud. Just over a decade later, the Philips CD-Interactive (CD-I) gave us the promise of interactivity through their multimedia compact disk experience. These formats, and the ones that came before them promised the user a collaborative digital experience, which is exactly what we got, but this was at a time when the world wide web was not yet realized.
Today, words like multimedia and collaboration almost seem like vintage terms used to describe the technology of yesteryear, but what of interactivity? If we are talking about the online world, then one of the best definitions would be social media. Some websites even allow a rich user experience allowing services such as online chat and gaming using HTML5. The next level of interactivity online is to describe an experience similar to a network-based video game where multiple users are not only connected to the same environment, but can see, hear and communicate with one another. This is the idea behind bleeding-edge technologies such as GoInstant which allow multiple participants to converge and browse the web together.
While the technology exists today, the issue with many apps is in the additional layer required in order for multi-user access to function. Some of us who are familiar with co-browse functions have seen a glimpse of the future of interactivity whereby two individuals can in real time control a webpage (or the other user’s O/S) remotely. Even conferencing options such as Webex, still considered to be a collaborative environment offering text, video and chat functions, provide a multi-player platform, but again, a 3rd-party script is required to co-exist in order for the application to function. The next wave of online interactivity will live solely in the browser, powered by modern languages and instructions.
Demo Anything
Most of us have seen the surgeon of the future perform an operation by using finger-touch movements which in turn control a machine doing the actual procedure. Is the MD in the room? No. The doctor could be on the other side of the room, or the other side of the world, so long as the connection is intact. Would this qualify as a fair definition of interactivity in the new age? Taking this concept to the web, what if you could allow your clients or prospects to collaborate on a webpage at the same time, as opposed to one-to-one? Even better, what if instead of having to install a separate piece of software like Java or Flash, all they needed was a login?
The GoInstant platform enables the website to be truly social, and for those in customer or technical support, it’s just what the doctor ordered. And because it’s written using the latest web tools and doesn’t require older platform executables, it’s mobile-ready, which means no extra work is needed to realize a smartphone-derivative. This opens up endless possibilities that just a few years before, would have been an expensive and time-sensitive undertaking, involving multiple apps. Have you ever tried to explain in words the true benefits of what resides on your website but didn’t have the platform to enable the other person to ‘browse’ along with you? Or, perhaps your team has invested years in developing a complicated application, but without a method of transporting this easily for others to collaborate with. With the power of GoInstant, your application can have the multi-user experience, quickly, with clients requiring only a connection to the GoInstant site.
If The Browser Is The Car Of The Future, Node.js Is The Engine
A lightning fast web requires a lightweight tool, as the future application no longer calls for bloatware which aim to just slow things down and get in the way. The basis of Node is Javascript, a language many of us are very aware of, and through Javascript, calls are made in small batches from the server to the the browser. In real terms, the speed-of-transaction would be comparable to a human-powered javelin vs. an arrow shot from a composite bow. Both will get you to the target, but while one has already reached the destination, the other is still in-transit.
If your website or application requires a multi-user environment, but your current allotment of resources would break under the pressure of your existing stack, GoInstant may be the missing link. All the complexities associated with enabling a collaborative environment have been removed, allowing your enterprise to focus squarely on your application. And yes, security and stability of the data is a standard feature. The interactive web has made a giant leap forward, and for the time-conscious business which needs to get to market quickly, the multi-player web is no longer a difficult scenario… it’s literally minutes away.
