Parakey.com - Give Your Computer The Bird

So let’s talk platforms. We have the Microsoft Windows (now Windows Vista), Mac’s OS, Linux, and the list goes on…Thought there’s no place for one more? You’re wrong. There’s a new star in the platforms sky, and it is called Parakey.com. This yet-to-launch “web operating system” created by Firefox co-founders Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt, is so promising, it has already been purchased by Facebook (it is Facebook’s first acquisition). The word out on the street is that Google was also a bidder, but the soon to come IPO of Facebook made their purchase offer - with Facebook stock - more attractive. Basically what Parakey is promising, is not only the platform but also a few web apps, that will also work offline and will be totally user friendly, so they won’t be calling a friend to burn CDs, install programs, and so on.

“What is Parakey? Parakey is a platform for building applications that merge the best of the desktop and the Web. Like desktop applications, these applications work offline, offer more privacy than pure websites, run quickly, and integrate with your computer and its devices. But like Web applications, they are also more creative, visually alluring, accessible from anywhere and potentially accessible by anyone. In short, Parakey apps are designed to be both useful and social, a combination that is too rare today. Parakey is building not just the platform but also its first set of applications. We enjoy programming, but ultimately we started this company to make computers better for average people who turn to technology for convenience, not...adventure. When people need to call their "computer friend" in 2007 to install a program, scan a document, burn a CD or show a picture to a friend, there is a problem. Fixing it will take time and the patience to sit down with users and understand them.”

An easy to use platform, with several web apps that will help you on your daily computer tasks will always come in handy. Plus, the fact that Facebook recently purchased it, even before it was launched, as far as I know, means something.

Will people be ready to change platforms? What exactly are they going to release? When will they release at least a BETA version?