10 things I can’t do in the browser

Yesterday at CloudCamp Antwerp someone claimed that all you need is a browser these days. I started thinking about it and while I believe that we will be able to do a lot more in the browser moving forward, the reality is that today browser based offerings are almost always inferior when there is a rich client alternative.

1. Work with many files open and switch quickly between them.
2. Create great office documents. There are a lot of features I find in Office that aren’t matched by browser based offerings today. Maybe someday, but not today.
3. Anything offline.
4. Create good quality video and edit it.
5. Advanced photo editing
6. My whole music collection is offline. I use media center, you might use iTunes or media player to play your songs
7. Be productive with managing email.
8. Use handwriting. I have a Tablet PC and use it like one.
9. Write code like a pro. Some would claim I can’t write like a pro no matter what.
10. Play a good game

Of course browser capabilities are evolving and technologies like Silverlight OOB and Google Gears will push the boundaries of the browser apps.