Software Engineering

A twelve-year-old can build a nice Web application using the tools that came standard with any Linux or Windows machine. Thus it is worth asking ourselves, ‘‘What is challenging, interesting, and inspiring about Internet-based applications?’’ There are some easy-to-identify technology-related challenges. For example, in many situations it would be more convenient to interact with an information system by talking and listening. You’re in the bathtub reading New Yorker. You want to know whether there are any early morning appointments on your calendar that would prevent you from staying in the tub and finishing an interesting article. You’ve bought a new DVD player. You could read the manual and master the remote control. But in a dark room, wouldn’t it be easier if you could simply ask the house or the machine to ‘‘back up thirty seconds’’? You’re driving in your car and curious to know the population of Thailand and the country’s size relative to the state of California; voice is your only option. There are some easy-to-identify missing features in typical Web-based applications. For example, shareable and portable sessions. You can use the Internet to share your photos. You can use the Internet to share your music