Client for What?

Friday November 21, 2003
When doing something like browsing my email, what is it that I use a non-web-based client for?

  1. Native integration (such as drag'n'drop from a file manager, copy-paste of pictures from other applications, opening of local files)
  2. Responsiveness
  3. Keyboard Shortcuts

Beyond those requirements, it seems like a web browser can do almost anything required for any kind of text-mashing or abstract, logical application. There are apps like word processors which live or die based on performance of particular functions like turning fonts into pixels, but almost any communications-based application won't need to do something like that.

Will it?