Could Google pave the way to online subcription based services?

Right now I should be composing emails to my recent interviews but I rather wait it off until I can get more guidance from dear old sister. Apparently she has a knack at writing business letters and the like. Something that I never really got the hang of. I guess being a lazy reader when I was young kinda bit me back.

I finally got to use Google's word processing software. The software was easy and to the point. Most importantly it can be saved as a Doc format. I would not use it more or less versus Appleworks or MS office. I have the feeling that if this becomes successful other software companies will follow suit. I can easily imagine couple years from now when online connection speeds are faster and an "active" registration (where companies can keep a track of you via SN) are a common place. Imagine when the only thing you need is a computer with an operating system and a simple browser nothing else. Application folders will just become links to your "subscribed" software. There will be no ownership of software. Kinda funny thinking about the next Adobe CS online addition. Massive font, clip art, brush selections at your finger tips for only $49.99/month!

Talks of distributed computing for the likes of SETI and protein folding research will be eclipsed eventually by commercial software. I see it as a way for animation programs to use other subscribed users available computing power to help render difficult scenes.

Peer to peer software could be modified so that subscribed users can use others tool sets when permitted to. So let say Jimmy from Texas needs some action script for a flash scene. He pulls down his scripts "friends" list to see what is available in there database. He finds that Jorge from Madrid did a script that he can modify to suit his needs. It sounds like fiction until you find out that the flash software he's using is a subscription and that the program is actually at the head quarters he is subscribed to. Since the company can control the software in every aspect; things like sharing data seamlessly will just be an after thought. I guess one can call it a active distributed software system.

One of the great advantages to online based software is the compatiability aspect. Any software system so long it has a browser can utilize it. It is advantages to users in that they no longer have to worry about installation and updates. The time saved for software companies in developing one format is lower overhead. Enviromentalist will celebrate since there is little packaging waste.

Flash based games already have many aspects written above. You can play it online with no installation. Your high score is already saved in the games database available for viewing by any other would be player. Google predicted this and sooner or later others will follow as well.

So just like music, software will no longer have a physical representation of it self. Just a box, if your lucky a manual, a card, and a serial number.