Mozilla's greatest success to date has come from its online efforts with the Firefox web browser.  Since at least October of last year they've been working on the Mozilla Prism effort to bring the online experience to the desktop.

That effort is taking a major step forward today.

Instead of struggling with Mozilla Prism to create a standalone desktop version of a Web app, there is now a point and click browser plugin to do the magic.

Today we're releasing a major update to Prism that includes new desktop integration capabilities and simpler installation. With this update, you can now get Prism simply by installing a small extension to Firefox 3. With the new Prism extension for Firefox 3, users can now split web applications directly out of Firefox without needing to install and manage a separate Prism application. Just install the extension, browse to a web app, then select Tools > Convert Website to Application.

 Mozilla takes a modest approach on its Labs page for Prism stating that,  Prism is not a new platform or product but rather a vehicle for Mozilla Labs to experiment with new technologies to extend the capabilities of the Open Web.

Yes this is still an early Mozilla Labs prototype, but it is very encouraging and has widespread implications for Web based software apps and Software as a Service.

The ability to make a desktop enabled web application with very little effort could well expand both the distribution and usability of countless applications.