The Internet has become an essential tool for business in Canada. From the very beginning, CRC has been a leader in Internet technologies, and that leadership continues as the next generation of the Internet is emerging.

Web 2.0 is a term that has been coined to describe a new way that the World Wide Web is being used; as a platform to run applications, rather than merely a simple collection of web sites.

The Networked Media Laboratory at CRC was one of many organizations that were developing Web 2.0 applications before the term was coined. This should not be surprising – the Networked Media Laboratory has been developing applications for the Web since 1993. The newest applications developed by the Network Media Laboratory, including web-based office tools and on-line professional development systems, take advantage of the Web 2.0 approach.

These types of Web 2.0 applications have three major advantages.

First, Web 2.0 applications are native to the web. They run on web servers and are accessible from any web browser. This means that Web 2.0 applications are provided as services to be accessed, not as programs to be installed – users get accounts, not installation disks. It also means that developers can improve the application continuously, providing bug fixes within minutes and new features within hours.

Second, Web 2.0 applications harness collective intelligence. Users are organized into groups, share data, and exchange comments. They are recruited to assist in the development by being encouraged to report any suspected bugs immediately and to suggest new features or ways to improve the interface. As a consequence, the usefulness of Web 2.0 applications increases as more people use them. The intent is to make users feel like they are part of a community when they are using the application.

Third, Web 2.0 applications use software development tools that are optimized for rapid development on the web. Rather than using existing technologies, the Network Media Laboratory has developed its own proprietary high-level scripting language that is simpler to learn, allows rapid program development, and minimizes errors.

By developing applications that take advantage of these important characteristics of the Web 2.0 concept, CRC’s Networked Media Laboratory is once again working to further the advancement of important technologies that will have a major impact on the way business is done.