Every now and then, when the important discussions over video games, board games, TV, and movies comes to a close, my friends and I briefly chat about other life-pertinent issues such as our careers. During one such conversation, a  friend who wondered the obligatory "What next?" question, more specifically, "I'm not certain what programming skills I should focus on."

Since my friend has a history of web development, I answered, "Continue working on your web skills like PHP and JavaScript. Web application development isn't going anywhere soon."

A pause. A pursed lip. "I'm not so certain about that, not with all of the mobile applications out there."

Others certainly agree with him: No more than a few weeks later, <a title="Wired Magazine" href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/all/1"><em>Wired</em> magazine</a> wrote its infamous article about how the <a title="The Web is dead" href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/all/1">Web is dead</a> and how mobile applications will dance on its grave.  <a title="Google - as if you don't know the URL" href="http://www.google.com">Google</a>, the <a title="Microsoft - As if you couldn't guess this URL" href="http://www.microsoft.com/">Microsoft</a> of the Interwebs, has split its personality over the issue, investing in both the <a title="Android Marketplace" href="http://www.android.com/">Android Marketplace</a> and the <a title="Chrome Web Store" href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/">Chrome Web Store</a>. We all know where <a title="Apple (not Apple Computers)" href="http://www.apple.com/">Apple</a>, the Microsoft of mobile apps, stands.

There is no doubt that the mobile computing waves are slamming onto the Internet's shores. According to <a title="The New Billion" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CBIQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcg.com%2Fdocuments%2Ffile58645.pdf&amp;rct=j&amp;q=Boston%20Consulting%20Group%20Internet%27s%20next%20billion&amp;ei=7K2DTP6ZIYL58Aa34939AQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNHpJxkrlcNaJvdpQ_-8oZdn6uftxg&amp;sig2=ad9jSPdLbq2h2aYaE96Tuw&amp;cad=rja">an article</a> by the <a title="Boston Consulting Group" href="http://www.bgc.com/">Boston Consulting Group</a>, the next billion or so Internet users will be logging in via mobile devices. The New Media Consortium has listed mobiles as "Technologies to Watch" since at least 2009.