Categories of Web Application

1.DOCUMENT-CENTERED
– Informational
read-only content is provided with simple navigation and links
– Download
a user downloads information from the appropriate server (ftp-server)
– Customizable
the user customizes content to specific needs
– examples:
• static HTML-pages, „home pages“
• web radio
• simple presentations of companies/products
2.INTERACTIVE
– content of a website is dynamically generated as response to a user request
– Form-based input is the primary mechanism for communication
between client and server
– usage of HTML-forms and Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
techniques
• radio button, string input, choice lists
– examples:
• dynamic HTML pages
• public transport schedules
• search engines
3. TRANSACTION-ORIENTED
– Complex interactions
– read and write actions
– Usage of transaction management of database systems
• Efficient and consistent data management
• structured data and queries
– examples:
• Online banking
• E-shopping
• Reservation systems
4.WORKFLOW-BASED
– support business processes („workflows“) between different enterprises or private users
– An application provides a complex service to the user, e.g.
Assists the user in determining the mortgage payment
– Prerequisite: structured flow of activities
– examples:
• Business-to-Business (B2B) Integration Frameworks
• E-Government
• Patient workflows in health care systems
5. COLLABORATIVE
– support cooperation in case of unstructured flow of
activities and high degree of communication
– „groupware“
– examples:
• support of shared information- and workspaces
– Wiki, http://c2.com/cgi/wiki
– BSCW, http://bscw.gmd.de
– Chat rooms
• E-Learning platforms
6.PORTAL-ORIENTED
– the application channels the user to other Web content or
services outside the domain of the portal application
– „single point of access“
– Examples:
• Community portals
– dedicated user groups
– Customer profiles
• Enterprise portals
– Intranet, extranet –
7. UBIQUITOUS
– personalized services at every time at every location
– Multi-platform delivery (PC, PDA, mobile phone)
– Context-dependent information
– Example:
• display of today‘s menu on end-user devices while entering a
Restaurant
8. SEMANTIC WEB
– Information available on the web
• Adequate for human understanding and
• Adequate for automatic manipulation
– „knowledge management“
• Derivation of new knowledge
• re-use of knowledge
– Example:
• Web 2.0
• Social software: wiki, Flickr, del.icio.us
• Google