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Front Lines is a guest viewpoint section offering perspectives on current issues and events from people working on the front lines of Canada's technology industry. Wayne Gomes is the CTO and co-founder of the Rich Internet Group, a Canadian interactive Web development shop specializing in the latest Web 2.0 technologies.

As you may have heard, the Internet is on a major comeback.

Five years after the dot-com bust we now find ourselves on the cusp of a second revolution: Web 2.0 (or so it's been dubbed) — the first version upgrade of the World Wide Web. Richer Web software is popping up daily and amazing us with an entirely new experience.

Interactive Web applications are being launched with such robust functionality that they're threatening the future of the common desktop application. Technologies like AJAX have gained widespread buzz in a short period of time, proving that the market is now ready for what was promised years ago.

No matter how you brand the hype, get ready for a quantum leap in the way the Web works and — more importantly — how it works for you and your business.

This shift is towards a more fluid, helpful and innovative Internet. Take Zimbra, a new contender in webmail. It's like Microsoft Outlook on steroids. You can hover over an address in your e-mail message and a mini map instantly appears. Couple that kind of functionality with a Web-based drag-and-drop interface, and it's hard to tell if it's running on your desktop or through a browser.

And with Web Services finally taking off, sites will no longer fly solo. They can chat and share information easily no matter what technologies are present on the back-end. For example, hit kayak.com and let it query hundreds of different travel sites to find the cheapest deal, then use its rich Web tools to sift your results down to the relevant few.

Here's the best part: These are all free services and available to anyone with a Web connection.

They're coming out in droves, too, thanks to the newly accepted development mantra popularized by Google, "release early, release often." Beta versions — and in some cases, raw alpha versions — are being launched with increasing bravery.

More and more companies are using you and I as a usability testing group instead of making us wait years for the perfect release.

So what does it all mean? Well, for starters, the venture capitalists have returned, scouring the industry for big-ticket hopefuls. Silicon Valley is recharged and empty office space is filling up again. And we're not just talking start-ups here. All the big players are taking the field, from Microsoft to Yahoo, although some are doing a better job than others.

Where 1999 brought us a predictable outcome, this era is more like a shift in the Web's tectonic plates. Our brave new world promises that we can finally say good-bye to "click, wait, refresh" pacing and leave the back button behind.

After years of momentum, I'd say we're almost at a tipping point. Macromedia coined the term "Rich Internet Application" with the launch of Flash MX a few years ago to describe single-screen Web technology using live database feeds. But perhaps it was just too much too soon.

Today, mainstream Web developers are pushing the movement by combining asynchronous XML data requests with advanced JavaScript coding techniques, now cleverly coined AJAX. After only eight months in existence as an industry term, the buzz around AJAX is nearing Flash applications in terms of search-engine popularity.

Do we really have to choose between our standard HTML interface technology and Flash or AJAX? Flash excels in its rich, multi-media strength, its browser-independence and the fact that the player penetration rate is at an almighty 98 per cent. On the other hand, there are legions more JavaScript programmers out there, and while Flash is browser-independent, AJAX is not proprietary.

With Microsoft's ATLAS on the way, powered by the company's own XAML markup language, and open-source frameworks like Laszlo gaining solid footing, it's really anybody's game.

For now, the good news is that these technologies can live and work together. And that's an important key to Web 2.0. Building very thin, user-friendly front ends and tapping into powerful back-end resources is nothing new. But innovative examples of doing so are ever-increasing. And maybe AJAX has come to fruition at just the right time.

Already spent millions on your corporate website? Don't fret; Web 2.0 doesn't necessitate a site overhaul. Early adopters can get in the game with rich and affordable add-on tools like sifters and comparators that cohabitate nicely inside your HTML pages. And besides, if a new tool fails or isn't used and the HTML back-up still exists, what's the risk?

Retailers can learn a lesson from The Gap; that retailer's instant size-availability check and same-screen cart update makes on-line shopping a comparative breeze.

With a few different technologies to choose from and no site redesign required to get there, Web 2.0 promises some massive business benefits. Interactive features and immediate data updates are making the Web faster, easier and increasingly more shopper-friendly — great news for the retail industry.

But Big Business is not the sole benefactor. Everyone from the common developer to the average Joe will be drinking from the cup.

The surge of on-line or "on demand" software has turned into a hot market almost overnight. According to IDC, the service software industry is expected to double to over $10-billion (U.S.) by 2009. Web-based apps will soon be more appealing in the minds and pockets of consumers and businesses alike. While a full-fledged Web-based office may be years down the road, all the signs are pointing in that direction.

So for now, let's all bask in the rich user experience. Functionality over the Web has reached a whole new level. Change is happening overnight. Keep your eyes open and your RSS feeds enabled.