I’m pretty tired of modern tech having a life expectancy of a mayfly. My granny has used the same TV for as long as I can remember but over 14 years I’ve buried 4 PC’s and 2 Macs in the CPU graveyard. My last mac lived 3 years. That’s about equivalent to 76 in computer years. So when it came to upgrading, I wanted to try and maximise my laptop’s lifespan from the start. It seems that the better spec you buy, the longer it will last but at some point, the cost becomes unreasonable.

I, like many of us spend more time with my (recently replaced and already slow) computer at work than with my partner. That’s way too much time, but I think I’ve picked up a fairly basic trend in computers: namely that the more apps you install on your machine, the shorter the life expectancy. Especially with PC’s. Especially with PC’s. Hit CTRL ALT DEL, choose task manager/processes and take a look at all those useless apps your machine is running from programs you once installed. So Im thinking the more app’s you install, the slower your machine gets, the sooner it dies. It makes sense to me at least. So when I bought my Macbook I did some investigation. Rather than using Apple’s iWork office software or registering the Windows Office for Mac, I thought I’d use Google Docs or SlideRocket or Buzzword. They would take up less space (as in, no space) and surely sap my resources less. I use a webapp like Zamzar to convert video formats; Meebo instead of installing IM clients; Gmail instead of Mac mail; Splashup instead of Photoshop; the list goes on. I can even play games online - albeit still basic ones. I haven’t got as far as trusting Flickr with all my photos, or Lala with all my music - I still need to keep those on my hard drive but one day I’m sure I will.

The good news is that (most of the time) these apps are free. Other upshots are that you don’t need to be on your own machine - you can be anywhere. The downshots are that they are still not as slick or quick, but that is changing. And you need an internet connection. But that’s not too hard to find nowadays is it? So whilst web apps may not be able to replace all my desktop apps right away, they’re definitely helping me keep my Mac clean and young.
What are your top 3 online apps? Mine are:

- Google Docs

- Gmail

- GoogleMaps

(unintentionally, but scarily, all google)

Tags: buzzword, death, flickr, gmail, google docs, lala, meedbo, sliderocket, software, webapp