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# Hive 7: a virtual world in a browser
- URL: https://werd.io/hive-7-a-virtual-world-in-a-browser/
- Published: 2006-03-30T15:13:02.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-12T11:01:22.000Z
- Author: Ben Werdmuller
- Tags: General, #ben-684a32da145d7d001be71dae, #Migrated-1749693130536, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-06-11 21:52

[Not to say I told you so](http://elgg.net/bwerdmuller/weblog/9948.html), but [This is only the beginning](http://gigaom.com/2006/03/29/hive-7-an-ajaxian-virtual-world/) \- ajax (and, I'm sure, other technologies that will peek out from around the corner before we know it) is on the up.

I really don't think it'll be long before the browser is everything we need to get most tasks done, and that's no bad thing. What it *does* do is push commercial software into an entirely new age of revenue; open source applications are likely to be less able to keep up a centralised server-based environment, whereas suddenly commercial software vendors can charge a monthly fee to access their product. I'm sure open source software can engage in a more distributed set of hosting - in other words, there might be seventy different places to use a particular open source wordprocessor - but it's more than likely that 99% of them will be supported with fees or advertising. And to be honest, as people get used to text ads I suspect their price is going to go through the floor, as banner ads did six years ago.

Nonetheless, the implications for universities and public organisations are huge - can you imagine if you could just pick up an open source app and stick it on a central application server? No more license fees, no more compatibility headaches, no more calls to Microsoft Support at $foolish a call ...