A large variety of computer programs are grouped under the term ‘desktop applications’. They are the programs that people rely on in their everyday life; for example, their email program, their Internet browser or their word processor. These desktop tools include all of the software that is usually available from a user’s desktop with the click or two of a mouse. More and more often these days a computer user’s desktop will be connected to the Internet, often permanently, and because of this the most used and useful tools in a computer users daily life will often be those that help them to search and do work online.
The way that people interact with computers and the Internet is undergoing some big changes. People are migrating away from traditional stand alone applications and operating systems and navigating towards Internet based software extensions and browser connectivity. This is reflected in the shift away from companies like Microsoft who specialise in operating systems and towards Internet based organisations such as Google. In many ways the browser and the search engines have taken over some of the roles of the operating system, almost by accident.
The most common software tools that you will find on many a users desktop environment today will be those related to the Internet. Email programs, FTP applications and probably the most common, the Internet browser or web browser. Along with these applications, companies like Google are developing dedicated ‘desktop search’ programs to simplify searching within a users own computer, yes Google are moving of the web and into your office some time soon. There is movement in both directions with desktop based companies such as Microsoft trying to get a little of the online share through browser and search engine development, and Internet based organisations finally making their approach onto the desktop. Both markets are involved in aggressive online marketing campaigns to try and capture some of the market.
The line between the information that lies on your computer and the information that is in the public domain is getting blurry. Where the two lines cross is normally with the Internet browser that gives access to the Internet while still having to be installed on a single computer. Once a user has installed a browser onto their computer they can place it on their desktop and be able to access the Internet with ease. The computer is then online and becomes a node in a global network of millions of computers. While search engines are by far the most popular desktop applications used to search online, other programs also exist that can perform a variation on these functions. Search engine marketing campaigns are often carried out because of the very popularity of search engine use in people’s everyday life.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) programs are used to transfer data from one computer to another, and while they are another desktop program they are used more for data transmission and retrieval than search as such. Peer to peer programs and Torrent protocols can also be used to search for files and information online in a similar manner to web browsers. Email clients as well can carry out searches for particular people online within a predefined list. Online messenger and chat applications are another desktop extension that will allow a user a degree of freedom when making a search to find their contacts. As the worlds of the computer desktop and the Internet converge, more and more options will be made available to allow computer users to search the globe from the comfort of their own desktop environment.