Re: Definition of Web Application (related to tax law....)

Hi,

Sorry, no definitive answer for you here, just more questions.

My issues "concerns" here:  Where does the actual execution takes
> place? (It'll have taxation implications)
>  That definition above makes it a duality as the application is
> "delivered" to the local browser and executed on the browser, though
> the definition states that it still executes on the remote server.
>
>  Shouldn't we differentiate between a *browser* app (local execution)
> and a *Web* app (remote execution)?
> What is the impact of the concurrent needs for *both*? Ie it executes
> partially local *and* remotely?
>

Tax law?  Really?  Are you able to elaborate at all?
I'm no lawyer, but I am definitely curious on how the distinction between
local and remote execution affects tax law?

In my opinion, a web application is (mostly) an application that has
(business) logic that is executed on the server, with (optional) logic
executed in the client, with storage of data either on a remote server, or
locally in the client.  I say "client" instead of "browser", as you could
have a web application sitting on a server, that serves information to a
mobile application designed to present that data to a user, and/or to a
browser (Think Discovery Health's website+mobile application).  Do you
include the mobile app as an extension of the web application?  The mobile
app can't live without the web application in this case.

That being said, you did make a good point about "delivered" applications,
you do have these newfangled techie frameworks that deliver a whole web app
to the local browser for offline usage, that can optionally synchronise
data back to a server.  And you get these newfangled applications that just
deliver the (web) app via a browser to the user, and executes using a
plugin fully in the browser (Think QuakeLive or Unity3D web-delivery
games).  There is a not-so-fine line between a browser-based application
that uses a remote server for storage (which still needs to pass through
some or other application logic or API for authentication and
authorisation), and a browser-based application that just sits and runs
inside a browser and never talks to a server.

Then you have hybrids like Google Analytics, sure, everybody will agree
that it is a web application, but what about that piece of code that is
stuck in all Analytics-enabled website?  There is a bit of logic in there,
and data transfer from the browser (or mobile application in some cases) to
the server, so is that included piece of code part of the web application?

You have a tough task ahead to get a proper-proper definition.  Good luck.
I do hope you share what you come up with. :-)

Regards
-Aubrey

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