Technical Web Software: advantages and disadvantages of a web software
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Web Software? And what changes in the particular case of technical software? Before addressing this issue, it is necessary to explain what is a web software. This is a normal application, but it does not require you to install it on your personal computer.
There are very few examples of technical software on the web, but the average user actually uses them very frequently in everyday life: think of Facebook, Gmail or Youtube, which do not reside physically in a computer, but can be reached from any device via the Internet. Each of them also allows you to use normal web browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Explorer.
Advantages of web software
The first advantage is the installation, which, for such an application only has to be run on the server once, so its maintenance and all system updates are managed directly from the network.
As already mentioned, a Web Software can be used anywhere and from any device. This not only allows you to work from any location, it also allows you to take advantage of the service in question using cloud servers protected and secure for users. Even licenses, often subject to a fee in a Desktop software, can in a web software be simply regulated through username and password access, reducing costs for the company.
Among the advantages of such an application is certainly also the simplified usability for the user, who can find in his hands a tool with an interface built specifically for the various devices available. If the simplified graphical interface can be an advantage, we will soon see how it often turns out to be a disadvantage.
Not to be underestimated are the independence of the application from the operating system used (Mac, Linux, Windows, etc..), the immediate access, which does not require the download of any program, the centralization of data and the ability of the software to be used by multiple users simultaneously (up to certain limits).
Last but not least, you can customize the appearance of the software and its output with logos, colors and corporate images. In this way, each activity will be more immediate and in tune with the tone of the company.
Disadvantages of web software
The first disadvantage is that, to date, it has not yet been possible to develop web applications for complex programs that require physical installation on a computer.
And what about a technical program? The calculation, design or rating software normally includes a calculation engine. The calculation engine radically slows down the performance and response time of web software. Incredibly slow response times, unacceptable to the normal standards of any user. And this is precisely the challenge (almost impossible): to bring a calculation engine to the web, with the possibility for several users to carry out immediate calculations in real time simultaneously.
The technical software in the web must therefore be completely devoid of a calculation engine to be responsive, which could almost turn out to be a nonsense. In the case, as is often required, of selection software, the absence of a calculation engine in favour of linear multi-table interpolation via Excel tables makes the web software a realistic challenge, and one already created by Unilab.
The Excel multi-table interpolation is, however, not free from slowdowns, not so much due to its structure, but rather to a series of external factors: the connection speed, the characteristics of the server, the presence of a large number of users able to perform calculations simultaneously, can significantly slow down the performance of the web selection tool.
The customer must choose from the outset the path of a web software or a Desktop software, since the porting of a Desktop software into the web is not possible, and clearly not the other way around.
The network itself is a disadvantage: the Web Software can only be used via an internet connection, and certain features require the recovery of some data from a server. No internet, no software.
Let’s come to the aforementioned graphic interface. To be compatible with all devices, snappy and responsive, the Web software must make several compromises. The graphical interface on the web is thin, poor in comparison to the richness and potential reachable by its Desktop counterpart.
Furthermore, even the slightest change to the graphical interface in the web environment during the course of the work requires many hours of programming, unlike in the desktop environment. This is a nice difference in terms of development time. It is thus better, for the customers who commission the work, to decide in advance the general appearance of buttons, input fields, pop-ups, etc., to avoid incurring heavy delays.
Finally, the last factor: time. Web development takes a huge time compared to desktop development. A Web software is therefore often very expensive for the company purchasing it, but this investment fully rewards the company of the economic efforts made. The web is the near future, there is no point in denying it. And, as always, Unilab is at the forefront!
Contact our sales team at sales@unilab.eu, we will be happy to provide more information!
