I want to do even more on the Internet!

With Rich Internet Applications becoming even more popular, we’re finding everyday more and more applications that we’ve been accustomed to using on our local desktop available on the world wide web.

Everything from word processing, graphic editing and even video editing applications are being developed. The advantages of being able to do these things online is exponential. Not only can you do your work from any location with any computer that has Internet access, you’re no longer as limited by the resources of your local machine. This also narrows the problem of working from multiple platforms as well.

One of the more common and most popular examples is Google’s Google Docs. Although it’s not Flex driven it’s still pretty nice and offers some great freedom (check out Buzzword for a Flex driven online word processor) with simple documents and spreadsheets. So instead of having to e-mail your friends a copy of your file and hope that they have the right software and latest version to view your precious creation, you’ll be able to collaborate the file with them. They then login to the same Rich Internet App that you used with their own account and see the file that you’ve shared with them. They then can edit or manipulate the file as they wish! Now imagine being able to do that with many other types of files. Images, video, graphs and diagrams, project management, and much more.

And those updates that you just have to get so that you can stay up with the latest software won’t be a bother anymore either. If you’re using a RIA word processor, you’ll likely be automatically updated along with every other user.

This of course also means a little leniency on your pocket book as well. With Rich Internet Apps just coming out many services are free or very inexpensive to use. Many services and products may be effected to the benefit of the consumer. Rich Internet Applications don’t just effect desktop applications, but will also further impact television, communications and e-commerce. So even though the days of the expensive software license may soon be coming to an end for many Internet users, expect to find more and more of the Rich Internet Applications to come along with monthly subscription fees.

Of course the more these applications become available the more that security also needs to be considered. Though this may hinder some, if done correctly a Rich Internet Application can be as secure as any other type of web site on the internet.

As we see Rich Internet Applications become more and more available we’re sure to see more opportunities and simplicity in how we experience the Internet.