Mozilla just announced a new project, Prism, which transforms Web applications into traditional, desktop-based programs.

As time passes, the growth of the online world has encouraged many corporations to develop software that can run exclusively online. This can be problematic for some people who do not wish to operate inside a Web browser, or who want to remain offline while working.

With the aid of Mozilla Prism (Windows only for now), users can execute a Web application inside its own, independent Windows screen. This allows them to better control how software is displayed and how it reacts to user manipulation.

Prism is only in an early development stage right now, but it should soon be supported under other operating systems and could even be directly integrated within the upcoming Firefox 3 Web browser.

Getting started with Prism (Mozilla Labs).