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Your Personal, Virtual Desktop

Personable.com will host your apps online, but don't expect to move everything to the Web just yet.

By Liane Gouthro, PCWorld   

"Five years from now, we'll look at software rental [over the Web] and say 'that's just the way it's done,'" says Frank Martin, director of new business development for Personable.com.

Perhaps. But I'm not ready to migrate to the Web soon, especially when I consider my recent experiences with Personable.

Launched last week, Personable is dubbed the "first consumer-driven application service provider." Designed for individuals, small offices, and home offices, Personable offers several desktop productivity applications, with Microsoft Office 2000 as the centerpiece.

Personable is available by monthly subscription rates ranging from $4.95 to $29.95. An additional software fee varies according to which Office package you choose.

To log on to Personable, you simply go to the Web site, enter your e-mail address (used as your User ID), and choose a password. Then you must download a 278KB plug-in.

The first time I tried, I used Netscape Navigator and I had to reboot. My second try produced an error message: "The specified server cannot perform the requested operation."

So I tried again, this time using Internet Explorer 5. The download was successful, although extremely slow (on a shared 38.4-kilobits-per-second connection, which isn't ideal). Once the download was complete, a pop-up screen appeared with an icon I was supposed to click to install the plug-in. I clicked and waited and ... nothing. I tried again. Still nothing.

At this point, I was ready to dismiss Personable forever. But I pressed on.

Eventually, I found the plug-in in my Download folder and manually installed it. It didn't take long and wasn't difficult, but it was a hassle nonetheless.

Working From the Web

Finally, I had my very own Personable desktop. Except for a thin Personable logo running across the top of the screen, it looks like any other Windows desktop. The applications are easy to access, with shortcuts arranged neatly in a folder.

I created a brief Microsoft Word document to test the software and found it ran pretty well. Using Microsoft Word on Personable.com was almost the same as using Word 2000 on my desktop. The only real problem with Web applications is the speed. I noticed delays as I typed, but found myself quickly adjusting to it.

Saving the document is basic, even when I wanted to save it on my own system. Personable provides icons for both your C: drive and your floppy drive.

"We want people to think of this as an extension to your existing PC," Martin says. Because Personable offers familiar applications that people often have on their desktops, it is easy to share documents between the two locations.

But if you already have all of these applications on your desktop, why would you pay for Personable's service?

Primarily, it gives you the option to access applications and files from any computer with a browser. You can also test applications during a rental period before buying them. And while the concept makes sense, in practice it still need some work.