The Web as an Application Platform As the use of the Internet in mobile and computing devices becomes more wide- spread, a fundamental shift in our society- the way we work and the way we is occurring. For many people either at work or at home--the Web interact browser is the they use the most, in fact, for some people, it computer program is the only application they use. For many others, Web-based applications are used in almost all aspects of their employment. This trend toward immediate connectivity has also caused fundamental shift in software development and a deployment. The Web has become the primary environment for the deployment of new software applications and systems. The majority of new applications are being written for the Internet- either as browser-based applications or as free- standing Internet applications.