Adobe's Apollo: Desktop development for the web set

When you think of Web 2.0, you probably think about applications that have moved from the desktop to the web. Everything from a calendar to a spreadsheet application can now be run in a web browser if you so desire, making life either easier or harder, depending on your perspective. But what about bringing apps from the web onto the desktop? On paper, Adobe's Apollo platform might sound like a solution in search of a problem but it could prove quite useful for those who have chosen to eschew traditional programming skills in order to focus on web development. Apollo takes the form of a cross-platform runtime library that is available free from Adobe's website; it runs on Windows Vista and XP SP2, Mac OS 10.4 or higher and soon, Linux. It allows developers to create desktop applications using HTML, AJAX, JavaScript and Flash that run on a user's desktop, even when the machine is not connected to the Internet. For all intents and purposes, the applications look and act like normal desktop apps: they can be downloaded from the web (along with the corresponding OS runtime), installed on the local machine and then launched from a desktop shortcut. Apollo could be an ideal solution for the web developer who doesn't feel like brushing up on his or her C++.

For more on Apollo:
- see this Ars Technica article