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copied!<p>I've done a fair bit of development writing both rich desktop apps and web sites.</p> <p>Generally writing code for a desktop app is easier, there are more controls available, you have much greater control over how the app works.</p> <p>Writing web applications really requires you to understand HTML, CSS and Javascript, as well as the limitations (or bugs when talking about IE) of the browsers. You have to worry about state and persisting it, and the mechanisms available to you are limited.</p> <p>Having said that, over time I find myself enjoying writing web applications more and more. The limitations of the the platform makes you simplify things, and the statelessness of the web helps manage some of the complexity. My last web project went live and the business required virtually no training because non technical people are now familiar with webpages and how they work. It is also great just to put a fix in and have it go live straight away. If you've ever worked with upgrading desktop apps you will no doubt know how complicated and painful it can be.</p> <p>Recently we have had some success with a mixed strategy (webtop), writing the main system as a web site, but then providing a client side application for power users who need more features. This can either host a browser control (in windows you can embed IE easily, in OS X you can do the same with safari), or use an API. Much like how Twitter gives you a web version, but power users can use TweetDeck or whatever.</p>

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