A complete stab in the dark at what could well be some of the defining features of what will one day, undoubtedly, have the mysterious name ‘Web 3.0’. I thought I would extrapolate the lines that connect the ‘read only web 1.0’ to the features we know relate to Web 2.0.
Constant Streaming Data: In the beginning, you would request a page once, and read it. With Web 2.0, you often request a page for a section / specific use application, and use it. Thus, I suggest that with Web 3.0, you will visit the homepage of a site that will provide the majority of the functionality of the site without a page refresh - the site will change to suit your needs, like a real world application.
Syndication and Aggregation of Sites and Functionality: Where Web 2.0 has seen the syndication of data across multiple websites, I propose that Web 3.0 might present the possibility to syndicate web applications / entire pages or sites or even just specific functions of a website. As bandwidth becomes cheaper, it will be easier to syndicate applications from a single source than to have multiple copies dotted around the web.
Mobile Web to reach ‘Web 2.5’: In the current day, the majority of websites based at Mobile Phones aren’t quite Web 2.0, due to the limited capacity of features and memory available to mobile devices. As they improve however, they will take a very important role in the way the web moves forwards. People will expect to access their favourite sites as easily from their mobile phone as they can from their PC. Non-Geeks will blog from their phone and update data whilst walking to work.
Complete Microformat Integration with Real Devices: No longer will some sites support specific microformats that a small selection of specially made tools can make use of, but microformatted data will be exchanged directly between websites keeping all of your often visited sites synchronised, as well as your mobile phone, and even your microwave and your fridge (with a shopping list and todo list etc).
Further Abstracted Design: CSS will be cleaner and cross-browser incompatibilities will (hopefully) be a thing of the past. New XHTML objects and new layout languages may come into use to allow for advanced features to be built directly into the web (auto-complete combo boxes, hover-over boxes, trees, expanding and movable divs etc). Designers will have to worry even less about how things will work, and programmers will have to worry even more about the complex points of programming.
Programmable Open Source Platform: The web will become a place where you cannot only just add data to wiki’s, but program how they function and add applications to other websites. Simple drag and drop programming models will even allow for standard web users to add functionality to their own pages/blogs/other sites without danger of breaking the server or disastrous consequences. People will even login to their own customized (web-based, or web-attached) applications to access their files online, because they’ve added functionality to their applications themselves.
Just my logical prediction. Some of this will undoubtedly be wrong, but I look forward to matching it up in a few years time.