Free For Now

As I continue to investigate Web 2.0 companies, I am realizing that the goal of many of the sites are to turn a profit. Imagine that. I just hate to invest the time and effort of learning a new site to lose free access to it in a year. I think Splashup is a great example of where the web is heading.

Splashup, formerly Fauxto, is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. With all the features professionals use and novices want, it's easy to use, works in real-time and allows you to edit many images at once. Splashup runs in all browsers, integrates seamlessly with top photosharing sites, and even has its own file format so you can save your work in progress.

Soon, most desktop applications will be web based, file storage will be web based, and my hope is that many will remain relatively free. I say relatively free because sites like Blogger and Adrive depend on either users including ads that generate revenue for both the user and the host (see top right Ads by Google), or display the ads while you benefit from their free service.