Offline web applications

Working in offline mode allows users to browse documents, use applications and access information that would normally be available on servers at a central location.

Offline systems gather data locally when a connection to the central server is not available, and allow users to access and modify information. When a connection to the central server is available, the changes can be merged to the central system.

This is useful in many situations, but is not available in out-of-the-box applications. These applications assume you are saving the information to the central system. It is difficult for developers who create web-based applications to make them usable when not connected to the central server or to the Internet.

Imaginea has created Dekoh Desktop, a cross-OS desktop platform bringing several key J2EE database and web service modules together in a smaller package ready for end-consumer use. Dekoh combines the best of the desktop and the web, and enables secure sharing of local content and applications on the Dekoh Desktop with guaranteed privacy.

End users can share access to personal documents with controlled access from their desktop through the Dekoh Network, and consumers will not be able to directly access the desktop. Enterprises can write RIA applications taking advantage of the web programming standards and built-in Web 2.0 and social network enabling framework.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Dekoh is that enterprises can bundle Dekoh with their other applications, including SaaS applications, and make them available offline for their users. The users can then easily synchronize updated data with the central server when they go online, which is a great benefit to those users who are in the field, in areas with poor connectivity or operating mission-critical, 24x7 businesses that require reliable offline capabilities for server maintenance or other scheduled downtime.