Google provided very comprehensive online version of Google Docs which is quite feature rich and reliable. I'm thinking of a desktop version built on their API & RESTful services. Yet I'm in early stage of reasoning and doing analysis.
Inarguably it's good to improve skills, gain experience and create great tutorials for RESTful web services training/workshops. But what's beyond that? If you are given such a client, would you use it, instead of opening your browser?
I would probably use it, assuming it had all the same features. I'm guessing it would be much faster than JavaScript...
I imagine that a desktop client would have certain advantages over a browser version. It could render the UI without using HTML. Another advantage would be that it can integrate more easily with the clients own filesystem, which would come in handy especially when Google Docs will allow uploading of any type of file.
The disadvantage would be that it will always be behind the web client as far as functionality is concerned.
I think that you might compare this with Picasa Web Albums and the Picasa desktop application.
However in Picasa's case, the desktop application appeared before the web version, and the desktop application does not depend on the web version, so the files are not hosted on the cloud by default. In addition, the features of the web application are just a subset of those offered by the desktop application.
Nevertheless, from a user experience point-of-view, I believe one can examine the strengths and weaknesses of the desktop application when compared to the web version, and you might be able to come out with valid reasons to why the desktop application can be useful and productive.
If you are given such a client, would you use it, instead of opening your browser?
Yes, I think I will.
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I created a small desktop Notepad (Windows) for Google Docs. I like light-weight and minimal stuff so I decided to create it as an exercise.
Check it out here.
I would use it if it's going to have some kind of cache mechanism.
Why? Suppose my internet connection just stops working, and I have important documents that I need to check. I need to check a contract or something like that, and this document I need wasn't updated for the last 2 weeks, so the "cached" version would still be up to date to my needs.
So, your software it's not just a desktop editor, it's even a backup mechanism for your docs on the cloud.
Well, that's the only reason I would use a "Google Docs desktop application". Without this feature my "Google Docs desktop application" is Google Chrome.
The problem I see is that Google are strongly opposed to desktop apps, they want to make everyone do everything on the web so they can make (more) advertisement money, which is basically their only revenue stream. Hence ChromeOS doesn't allow you to install local apps.
So you can't expect too much help from Google. I know not the techy side, but wouldn't be surprised to see them try and prevent this if it's feasible. After all, you'd be using their services without (gasp!) seeing ads.
the desktop client from Gladinet is pretty good. It allows you to map a network drive to Google Docs. http://www.gladinet.com/gladinet-cloud-desktop-for-google-docs-gdrive.htm