I never really stopped to think about it till now, but it is true. Windows XP is not my real operating system on my computer – Firefox is! Over the past few years it seems like more and more of my Windows programs are getting replaced by Online alternatives.

Another five or ten years down the road, it will not matter if you are running Windows, Apple or a flavor of Linux. With the way everything is moving to the Web – all you will need is a good browser to access it all from. Need a few examples?

How Can I Check My E-mail Online?

Personally I use Yahoo! Mail to do this, but there are a number of other choices out there. If I wasn’t using Yahoo! Mail – I would probably be using Gmail. Maybe if Google rolls out a premium service – I might switch. Now Webmail is great because it allows you to keep track of, respond to and check your E-mail no matter what computer you are using. As long as you have a browser and a Internet connection – you should be OK.

How Can I Write Documents or Edit Text Online?

Google Docs and Spreadsheets comes into play here. It is a very nice and basic backbone of an office suit. Sure you might not get all the bells and whistles just yet, but who needs ‘em? Since Firefox 2 came out I have been using the spell checker like nobody’s business as well. No need for a text editor to make sure I spelled things correctly before I post. Running my Web sites with WordPress, I can also save drafts of articles that I am not yet ready to make public yet too.

Need a Calendar to Keep Up With Dates?

There are a slew of Online calenders to help you keep up with important dates and schedules. I was trying to decide myself a few weeks back about which one to use, but I finally decided to go with Google’s calendar application.

How Can I Read my RSS Feeds Online?

Oh man, when it comes to ways to read your RSS feeds Online there is no end. There are countless start pages that can do this for you and dedicated RSS feed reader services like Bloglines and Rojo. I have tried just about all of them – and found myself most happy with the Google Reader. There is just so much that you can do with it to make it your own.

What About All My Other Tasks?

Now that I have all of the basic tasks that one might need to do on a day to day basis, I’ll talk about some of the other applications that you can move Online to use.

Need Online Instant Messaging? Try Meebo!

Need Saved Links and Bookmarks? Try Del.icio.us!

Need Remote PC Access? Try Log Me In!

Need Something to Watch? Try YouTube!

Have any other suggestions for Online application replacement? Leave a comment and let me know!