Google has an early release of a new Google Gears (BETA) that will do just that. It couples a browser Javascript API and a back-end relational database to enable some sort of briefcase model for web applications.
According a TechCrunch article Google Gears Lets Developers Take Apps Offline
Google is hosting a developer day for 5,000 developers worldwide. The bulk of developers will be gathering at the San Jose convention center for a keynote by Google’s VP of Engineering, Jeff Huber. At the conference Google will be outlining their developer strategy. But the big announcement will be Google Gears, an open source browser plugin that will enable developers to create offline web applications using JavaScript APIs. As a developer, you’ll be able to make an application with the assurance that it will work offline and online across browsers.
I’m sorry… did he say across browsers? This is JavaScript right? Alrighty then. I guess if anybody can do it, Google can. The Google mapping API works pretty well across browsers after all and it is JavaScript based.
This actually looks promising for one of the personal projects that I have on my plate. I had been planning on implementing some sort of synchronization/briefcase model for a web application that I will be creating. Thank you Google! That should at least make some of the work easier.