This continues from another thread http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/3932/5 where I posted the comment below.

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

Most importantly though, I do not believe that there is a dilemma between
Windows/desktop and web applications. Both are now required and I maintain that
applications that do not become web aware in this interconnected world have little
future to hope for.

I then found this post by Neville, the developer of Surfulater, which is quite relevant to the above point of view.
http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/

In addition, Neville provides some interesting background and insights into the new software development directions he's taking.

Neville has very extensive programming experience in the 'old world' of desktop software, having also developed Ed for Windows http://www.getsoft.com/

I must say that I admire such people who, in the words of Alvin Toffler, are able to learn, unlearn and relearn. I can only wish Neville all the best in his endeavours, being confident that they will also be good for Surfulater's client base in the long term.

UPDATE
http://blog.surfulater.com/2012/06/29/surfulater-next-generation-part-1/
http://blog.surfulater.com/2012/07/03/surfulater-next-generation-part-2/

I'm afraid I'm less positive about this direction than you are. I'm concerned that this rush towards cloud-based applications will impoverish the PIM world. My sense is that cloud-based apps have fewer features, look for the lowest common denominator and therefore become less sophisticated. Sure, a lot of people are working on mobile devices and need to share stuff. However, serious work still needs a serious machine and a serious software. I want specialist software that fulfils my specialist needs, rather than a watered-down cloud-based version.

If Surfulater loses it hierarchical folder structure, then it's no longer the Surfulater that I know or want. It will just become yet another web-based clippings service, of which there are a few already. Maybe I'm too old-fashioned but labels or tags just haven't been able to fulfil the same function for me as a hierarchical folder tree.

I'm also wary of cloud-based services because of their revenue model. Here is my nightmare scenario:

Eventually you end up paying for the fact of being locked into a cloud service where you pay ever-increasing sums as the data accumulates and becomes too huge and cumbersome to move to another service. Eventually you end up paying for storage, rather than for innovative software development. And it's a never-ending payment scheme, like a gym-membership, which many people forget to cancel after they stop going to the gym. The focus for these services will be not on existing users (who are already charged monthly) but on recruiting new users, to increase revenue. The focus will be on the needs of the "lowest common denominator" type user, rather than on the sophisticated user who has specialist needs.

I am against cloud applications and storage except when needed for collaboration or when many people have to access the same data.

1. Bandwidth limitations
2. Potential for hacking/stealing/changing/corrupting data
3. Massive power outages (as we just had here in the Washington, DC area).
4. Are our Pc's to just become like "dumb terminals"?

Dr Andus wrote:

Maybe I'm too old-fashioned but labels or tags just haven't been able to
fulfil the same function for me as a hierarchical folder tree.

This Rightnote video makes a good point about why a hierarchical tree is still preferable to a hierarchical tag structure: because you can organise the hierarchical tree freely, as you like it, and items stay in the same place, as opposed to an alphabetically organised tag tree, where item locations change every time you add a new tag (unless there are apps where tags can be organised freely and work exactly like hierarchical folders).

http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/4159/0/rightnote-has-evernote-cloud-syncing-notes

I've posted a comment on the Surfulater blog with regard to Neville's plans for the next generation of Surfulater.
http://blog.surfulater.com/2012/07/03/surfulater-next-generation-part-2/#comment-127593

Dr Andus wrote:

If Surfulater loses it hierarchical folder structure, then it?s no longer the Surfulater that I know or want.

I have my concerns as well, and have posted about them in the Surfulater Blog Part II of the said presentation, as you probably have seen. That said, I do want Surfulater to survive, and trust Neville to find a good compromise between features and flexibility.

you can organise the hierarchical tree freely, as you like it, and items stay in the same place,
as opposed to an alphabetically organised tag tree, where item locations change every time you
add a new tag (unless there are apps where tags can be organised freely and work exactly like hierarchical folders).

I use tags mostly in Evernote, for the simple reason that hierarchical folders are not available there (at least up to now, see post on Rightnote). They can be organised hierarchically at will, with no limitation in levels as far as I have seen. Within each level, tags are indeed ordered alphabetically. But I don't find this a limitation. In fact I always sort my folders and nodes alphabetically in most outliners, to avoid missing or duplicating a category or item. The only exception are mind maps, where the spatial positioning of a node may hold a certain meaning for me.

If there is a reason to keep my folders and items in a specific order, I will precede them with a relevant number. Most often however I may simply want to create 'zones' of folders, in which case I will precede the names with special symbols, e.g. ! ^ & etc

Alexander, Dr Andus & Daly,
Please see my replies to your comments here: http://blog.surfulater.com/2012/07/03/surfulater-next-generation-part-2/

Re. Cloud storage and data lock-in, there are ways we can help with this, such as enabling off-line access to your data (ie. synchronized copies are stored on your devices), use of a local-cloud that resides on your PC/Server and of course full Export of your data.

These are all good as far as they go, however the bigger question is what do you do with this data when it's host application no longer exists, for whatever reason.

-Neville