Desktop.com

Desktop.com was an Application Service Provider founded by Katie Burke Mitic, Larry Drebes, and Karen Drebes. They created a Web application compatible with the Internet Explorer 4 browser that effectively simulates a user's desktop over the World Wide Web, so that it is accessible from anywhere. A full window management and application launching system existed, controlled by JavaScript code. Much of this code was downloaded during the login process, which made the first access very long but the resulting user experience was like that one of desktop applications and not what would have been expected from traditional web applications. Desktop.com may be characterized as a predecessor to the later concepts of Ajax, rich Internet applications, web desktop, etc.