Tech Stuff: Web OS

In my last tech post I talked about the differences between Macs and PCs. But, with all of the differences in operating systems, I am increasingly becoming a fan of web based applications like those that are offered by Google. In fact, some people think that there will be a day when the operating system itself will be irrelevant as more and more applications are housed on the world wide web. (Read this for more info on the WebOS.) I know this post is going to sound like one big advertisement for Google, but I have been using their products for a while now, and am excited about the value they offer. As long as you can get onto an internet-connected computer, you can access all of your programs. I have moved all of my email accounts to gmail. The benefit to this is that it doesn't matter if I switch internet service providers, my email remains the same. At first I was concerned that web mail was not going to be fast enough for me, but after using it for a year, I don't have any complaints about lag time. Also, with the gmail notifier on my desktop, I know when I have mail even when I'm not looking at my email account. I have also started using Google's docs and spreadsheets. This way, whether I am using my laptop or my mac at home, I always have access to documents that I am working on, and they are always updated to the latest versions. With Google calendar, I am able see my schedule, as well as my wife's, in one place. Okay, enough of this fanboy stuff. I just wanted to write this for those who may not have ventured out and tried some of these new applications, maybe you'll find something you like. And, if you'd like even more info, you can read this interview from Wired magazine with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and this post from Tony Morgan about how some of Google's ideas can apply to ministry.