TechCrunch were reporting a new start up a couple of days ago that "aims to do for web development what blogging has done for publishing".
WyaWorks' first (?) product - WyaCracker - allows you to generate templated, form based applications without having to do any coding. This apparently is just a taster of more exciting things to come, so whilst the current Wyacracker offering is not that exciting in and of itself, it'll be interesting to see what they announce next.
There have been several attempts over the last few months to make web app publishing as easy as blog posting, of course. Ning allows you to clone and customise a wide variety of PHP coded "Web 2.0 mashup" apps running on Ning's servers, and ZohoCreator does something similar for business/office apps.
Another approach, that I haven't seen published anywhere, came out of a comment discussion on this blog. To quote from there:
More and more services are offering easy to use file storage, but as yet there aren't many that have an 'install here' button as well as an 'upload here' button. One issue, I guess, is traffic, server load, an unwillingness to run apps that may get stuck in a loop and trash the server, security etc. ......perhaps having hosting sites with B2B APIs that require a signature from a known provider who is allowed to install software onto a hosted account via an API. So the user buys the software off [a commercial provider, provides] their host details and account name, [and this information is then used to go] through the host's API and install the software into the user's account.
This approach might also be used to publish apps from sites such as Sourceforge (perhaps proven stable releases could be given keys that would identify as them stable enough for a one click publishing option?)
This idea - brought to mind by the Teamslide model (which is an old model of course - sell the software and let the user install it - rather than the web 2.0 approach - sign up to an online app and use the provider's servers to host your account) in which they aim to:
empower the user and encourage him/her to use his webserver/webspace (who is bored stiff) for more than hosting webpages: Install Online Software, benefit from anywhere, anytime computing but keep control and don't turn all your personal data to Google or WebEx by subscribing to an Online Service.
My only problem with that approach is that many users either don't have access to a server, or wouldn't know how to (or have the privilieges required to) install software on it if they did.
What I'd like to see is a hosting service where you can publish your apps with a single click. Many apps come with config scripts, and so this approach could perhaps be used to develop a web app publishing platform... Just as I can post to my blog with a single click, I'd like to go to Sourceforge and 'publish' an app with a single click...
Posted by ajh59 at May 1, 2006 09:53 PM