Web-based Office suite still a possibility

Lars Rasmussen, Google Maps lead engineer, believes that rich applications, like Office, will switch from the desktop to a Web platform in the next few years, reports Computerworld.

Speaking at a Sydney University School of Information Technology’s seminar, he said, “Traditionally, a Web site is about flipping pages but we took a different approach with Maps which is one page of Javascript. Javascript allows rapid development, the end user doesn’t need to install software, and it is cross platform. Maps has a richer interface, like a desktop application.”

Rasmussen believes that browsers are becoming mature enough for richer applications like Google’s Windows-based spatial information application, Google Earth.

And an online office suite? He remains cautious, “My crystal ball has a lot of applications, but not an office suite. But there are 3000 people that work for Google.”

We’ll take that as a partial Yes then.