I’m not sure why I’ve been so reluctant to speak about webapps, but now is as good a time as any.  The question I wrestle with is which ones are most apt and useful to developers and designers in the trenches.  Webapps have come and gone, but now that “cloud computing” is starting its push into the lexicon of web-speak, there are many that make developers and designers better collaborators.  And with more on the way, webapps will  make learning web development and design much more accessible to the constant flow of newbies.

If you happen to have been sequestered since 2000, webapps, or web applications, is any application that can be accessed and used with your browser.  Whether written in JavaScript, PHP, HTML, or Java, they’re becoming ubiquitous and extremely useful.  Take JS Bin, as our first example.  Created by Remy Sharp, JS Bin is designed to help JavaScript and CSS disciples test and debug snippets of code in a easily collaborative manner.

You can edit and test to your heart’s content using this app.  Although my cadre of codenaughts is small, I can write a snippet of JavaScript, tweak the HTML, and view the output before saving the results as a handy url.  If I’m lucky enough to have smarter-than-me colleague or collaborator, they simply visit the url and teach me the error of my ways.  A similar type of collaborative coding tool is being tested at this moment for Firefox by our good friends and Mozilla Labs.  Code-named Bespin, it shows tons of promise.  But right now, JS Bin is the best-of-breed and very intuitive to use.

Less you protest too much, don’t think webapps are limited to just code editing.  Check out Produle, a web-based visual tool for building and sharing interactive flash applications in the cloud without having to code one line of ActionScript.

Now, if there are any purist reading this and scoffs at the idea before taking the taste test, may you live long and prosper.  I may not be sufficiently cred in ActionScript, but if I know enough to understand the basics I can use a app like this to improve my learning curve and wow the bosses at the same time.

And don’t think the coders and Flash folks are having all the fun.  Try Aviary if you’re more inclined toward editing images, creating effects, designing logos, or just collaborating about them.  Aviary has suite of tools very well suited for novices unable to afford the latest Creative Suite.  They’re no substitute for learning an industrial-strength application like Illustrator or Photoshop, but they’ll definitely inspire and encourage a host of new recruits.