Chrome 43 Beta Brings Web MIDI & Permissions API

[chithanh]

The reasons why stuff moves into browser based web applications (or packaged HTML) are manifold, and they apply to music creation too.

• Portability: Runs anywhere a web browser does
• Enables stateless clients: No data or program code needs to be stored inside the client
• Collaborative work: Clients can almost effortlessly collaborate. Server has the authoritative view on the state of things.
• Tracking of changes and branches: Server knows how many versions of the document exist and how they relate to one another
• User and permissions management: Can allow users to view or change only part of the document

One big issue with web applications is hardware interfacing, something which has been made possible for MIDI devices with this Chrome update.

[FuturePilot]

Applications have been moving into the browser for quite some time.

Word processing (Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online, ...)
Software development (Cloud9, Nitrous, Codenvy, ...)
Photo and video editors (Pixlr, ...)
Training and education software
Communication and instant messaging
etc.

So why not music creation?

Anyone who's serious about their work doesn't use any of these things. Theyre going to use local applications like MS Office or Libre Office. Google docs is pretty basic. Even the most most basic advanced features aren't there. Useless for anyone doing serious work. Same goes for any of the other ones you mentioned. I doubt the next famous artists will be composing music in Chrome.

[chithanh]

If the limited functions of these web applications already cover one's use case, it is not necessary to use local applications. What is serious work and what not isn't defined by the software's features that you use.

What you write about music composition has been said in the past for iPads too, and these are now used by many professional artists.