Abstract

Web apps on the desktop are hot. (Elucidate)

Assumptions

• A web browser can be a UniversalClient? for a class of apps (ie. NewsAggregation? and web publishing, but not word processing.)
• A perl app can be bundled along with perl itself and perl modules to run freestanding on multiple desktop platforms. See: AmphetaDesk, Perl2Bin
• A python app can be also be bundled. See: Python2Bin
• Perl is good enough to make something like this, and enough people know perl to make something of this.
• Desktop web apps worry less about volume, more about usability and usefulness. (DesktopsHaveCyclesToBurn?)
• Remote access is a fortunate side-effect
• Could enable PeerToPeer? apps, not just WebApps?

Goals

• Perl-based or Python-based?
• Cross-platform
• Dead simple to install
• Easy to use
• Easily extendable

Design

• Implement in Python
• Web server with pluggable responders
• Built-in CGI-emulation responder
• Scheduler
• Event log (Log::Agent?)
• Object database (use Gadfly in Python?)

Tasks

• Need a better name for this thing

Notes & URLs

• AmphetaDesk - http://www.disobey.org
• RadioUserland? - http://radio.userland.com

People

• JonUdell & Practical Internet Groupware