>Lets make sure that we are talking about the same thing here. When I talk about a webapp, I'm referring to an application that runs through a web browser application.

Browser based apps, with the limited storing abilities are one facet.

>Skype, email, and source control applications I'd regard as web enabled apps. They do not run through a browser because their application stack is more towards working in an disconnected way.

They work better having access to the device, source control needing only the file system. They are today often native or hybrid apps. For their man function they need the web.

Another group is IMO becoming interesting: applications running on the OS without browser sandboxing, but using enhanced web (JS/CSS/Webview as GUI) technology stack. The deployment&usage pattern is following the patterns available in Java Webstart: if you have a Java runtime and a web URL, the whole application can bootstraploaded onto your machine. You can configure the application to just run or save itself onto the local machine - either as a safety against net outage or simply as a caching mechanism. A large part of the program itself today is just pure data, like XML for the GUI and so on. On next start he application checks - if connected - for updates in a loader manner. Similar bootstrapload mechanism exists for Python - needs only xCopy functionality and limited dynamic load, if you think about it.

Even with Oracle trying to climb the ship with their mobile ADF (hosting a "slimmed down" java VM) after not initial ban to run on iOS and hurt pride disallowing them to aim for Android while their court battle wasinitially running, I see the trend in favor of NW.js (have to read up more on Electron). Dunno how much individual device capabilities (Cordova/Phonegap) might be included in such a application stack.

Such programs do NOT have to go through app/play store and forfeit a substantial part of the gross profit. And in post-NSA scandal world such central stores should be viewed as potential tampering point just by centralizing installaton flow.

regards

thomas