You probably don’t. Halfbrain was a full-featured web-based replacement for Microsoft Excel, that in 1999, did wonders with Javascript and DHTML to create simply awe-inspiring spreadhseet functionality online. They followed with a Powerpoint replacement, and then a word process application.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, Halfbrain vanished. Well, not quite. It was acquired by IBM by way of Alphablox, and put to rest.

Now, in 2006, I’m reminded of the urgent new application annoucements and venture funding that were synonymous with the late nineties. Suddenly, a new breed of Web developer is loose again, innovating, getting funding, and creating interesting names for his application or service.

Thumbstacks is a new application in beta that simulates on the Web, with great success, Microsoft Powerpoint. Several years ago, Philip Greenspun and I designed and created a small application called WimpyPoint (scroll down to the credits for a cheesey hand-raise,) which was meant to launch a database-backed version of PowerPoint. What Thumbstacks has done is to take the best of new presentation technology and create a version of our program on speed. Of course, you can’t do transisitons and things of that nature, but it’s still in Beta, and it’s a damned fine start!

Similarly, iRows offers what HalfBrain used to, for spreadhseets.

The advent of these new applications signals a new era of optimism in the Web innovation market. But unlike last time, when the world collectively took a hit from a dot-com bong and went ape-crazy with its time and money, let’s hope that we can be more responsible with our efforts and strategy.