(There was a similar discussion last year https://portableapps.com/node/5069)
Now the 1.1 is the official version, what do you think is coming next?
Yes, I know, the PA Platform 1.5. 
But whats happening next year, in 2 or 3 years?
I think there won't be an PAM OS ever, so it useless to discuss, but what could be happend? Is PA still alive in 3 years?
What's coming up? My prognosis:
1 Years: 1st ports to Mobile Phones.
1-2 Years: The Platform supports widgets.
2 Years: The Platform becomes to a desktop.
3 Years: Almost all apps are web-based, the PA Desktop is starting in your browser. All custom settings will be saved online.
Are these points realistic? What do you think are the future major changings?
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would be John's strong point, but if you want SuperTux is already online.
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
Ok, you can stop laughing now
Seriously though, I have a dual boot setup at home with XP and Ubuntu, and I often wish those apps which I know have versions on multiple platforms (such as Firefox and GnuCash) could be run from my removable drive, sharing setup data.
Yeah, I know it's a tall order, but it would be very, very cool
I already gave my idea: custom PApps.com Menu that uses Portable WINE to boot and launch other apps. If that WINE was slightly modified (as it is made on Google Picasa) the menu would be able to have all the functions that it has on Windows.
This is a mid therm idea until it is natively ported to Linux.
Hope to have given good ideas
Blue is everything.
I see where you're going. I'm not so sure how long it will be before mobile phone support, but I don't see it in the near future, from what I've heard John say. I think that the desktop idea is key. Absolutely key. If PortableApps.com stays relevant, I think that a desktop will be implemented. I think that rather than he apps being solely web-based, that the PortableApps.com desktop can be run either on the web, or offline on the desktop, and all settings will be kept on the web and/or the drive, depending on personal preference.
The way I see it, is that the internet is still in a growth stage. It's not ready for desktop-quality apps to be run from the internet itself, considering bandwith, hosting, etc. I don't see desktop apps being run from the internet for several years, especially with bandwith caps in many countries and the limited speed of internet. For instance, here in the USA, a huge percentage (something like 30%) are still on dialup. That is huge. Dialup cannot support this type of thing, and I don't see a huge change in three years. Maybe eight years or so, but not three. Come to think of it, my 3Mbps DSL connection would be really slow running these apps. Not too mention the fact that most servers themselves can't give you much more than 10Mbps down (now, I'm not saying. (Your average hard drive nowadays has about 1Gbps, depending on the drive and its age.)
I see it more along this line:
1 year: All categories of applications are filled with popular apps, and many with alternatives
2 years: PortableApps.com desktop-like application alphas/betas come available. Also mobile phone support being added. Menu is now dissolving into the desktop itself.
4-8 years: Desktop synchronizes online, and can be used in an online GUI (optionally).
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
There are many good arguments in your post. My timeline may be incorrect, but who really knows about bandwith is coming. Drives becomes bigger month to month, serverspace won't be a problem.
I just look around and what's up there? Photoshop online, thousend of generators, pic-hosts, streams, streams and more streams, online-games and online-office. Is it so utopistic to say many of equal non-commercial services will be merged at one site in 3 years? Some people thought that's existing now and it's calling Web 2.0.
Ohh, I really hate this online-stuff. I like to run a prog in front of my. But a handful years ago I said I hate mobile phones. Now I'm using one, too.
About mobiles:
In my opinion half of the iphone-users (at whats come along) are very weird people. If there's a way to combine PA and the new mobile generation, it would be gone, whether it's useful or not.
Thanks for the reply; very interesting and fact based. And that's no sarcasm.
Life is crunchy, anywhere
About web based, companies like Microsoft are trying this and even an adobe photoshop online is happening. The advantages is that the apps are always up-to-date. The downside will be for commercial apps they try to get users into pay-per-use. Now while we don't want that, theres still additional costs... Internet connection, bandwidth and hosting. How fast the web gets, off line apps will always be faster.
Oops, my ISP has a problem, now I can;t use my apps.. (Well actually they probably will be cashed...)
Biggest advantage: apps will be multiplatform if they use browser based...
Biggest disadvantage: bad luck if the app changed or discontinued... and you still want to use it.
But really while the future may be a PC with browser only I rather have my apps offline on an USB stick or something similar... I'm old school like that.
not to mention that there are security risks that haven't been worked out about online transmission. Sure, for like 90% of us, it reallllllly doesn't matter what 99% of the emails I write or website I post to have in regards to content, but for most business related work, I can't take the liability or chance that my proprietary or confidential work gets sent back and forth on a second by second basis to a web-based program while I'm working on it.
Encrypting it to send to a client I can do, but that's a one shot deal and worth a slow and decided transmission. Actively working on a file, I think it would be onerous. Though I may be wrong in how it works.
But I do have to say that I like GoogleApps.
So I'm conflicted.
Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.