The beauty of Collabox is its portability, meaning that it can be used on different computer systems. It is therefore accessible everywhere provided it is connected to the Internet.
Web application
The OQLF defines the web application as an “application that can run on a web server”. It can be viewed using a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome or Firefox. The beauty of using the browser to access the Web application is that you can use a computer, a tablet, a smartphone or any other device that can use the HTTP protocol (ex. Collabox.com , Sales-Track.ca, etc.). What allows good compatibility between the different devices is due to the good management of the CSS components of the site. A well-designed CSS makes it possible to adapt the rendering of the application on the different screens of the devices mentioned.
Pros and cons
- One advantage of the web application is that it is immediately available to all devices that can access the web (provided it has been developed for this, which is the norm today).
- Another advantage of the web application is that it provides almost instant access to information and the amounts of information downloaded are very small. They are also specific to the research being done and the documents consulted.
- A web application does not need to be “trusted” by application distribution sites like the App Store and Google Play. Thus, publishing and updating a web application is instant and does not suffer from any delay.
- One disadvantage of the web application is that it requires a continuous internet connection. Without an Internet connection, hardly any information is accessible.
Mobile app
For its part, a mobile application is an “application designed to be downloaded and run on a mobile device” ( OQLF, 2013 ). The latter is developed in a language specific to each type of mobile (eg smart phones, digital tablets). The mobile application can be preinstalled on a mobile device or downloaded from an online store (App Store on iOS or Google Play on Android), this is called a native application. This type of application is not compatible with computers. Their reach is therefore much less and the editing of their content more complex because it is multiplied by so many platforms. Generally speaking, developing and updating is a bigger investment than a web application.
Pros and cons
- An advantage of the mobile application is that it can be used without an active Internet connection. All content is already downloaded to the phone. You must of course have an active Internet connection to perform this download.
- One drawback of the mobile application is that you have to download the entire “database” that you consult. There are exceptions, but it is not at all customary to update within the application. Thus the user will have to download a lot of information before being able to consult his first page.
- The content of a mobile application is not listed by search engines. Thus, information coming from a mobile application cannot be “found” by Google.
- A mobile application is dependent on the operating system and the version thereof. Its compatibility with older devices can become an issue. Its availability for “unplanned” devices is impossible.
