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25/02/08 The OS As We Know It Is Dead…
SINGAPORE - It’s not surprising everyone wants their own browser. Aside from all those (critical) things like processor management, device communication, storage control…
The browser is the OS.
Applications will begin to move into the cloud - served online in the style of web-apps, and those boring background things that ’should’ just work will turn invisible and allow the user to work freely in the foreground as your taskbar/dock will vanish.
How many of you now do 90% of your work in the browser?
From this…
to this…
?
Remember the failed ‘Active Desktop’ from Windows 95? Maybe Microsoft were on the money. Take away the desktop icons, flesh it out with full browser navigation capabilities and you’re not far from where I think we’ll be back at in 3 years time.
-Robin.
(Image Credit: If I could buy a plane it would be a USAF Hurricane Hunter, Singapore Airshow 2008. By Author.)
Tags: browser, General, invest, os, pc
6 Comments
26/02/08 BBrian
And we’ll move towards thin client computing for all. ISPs will rent you a thin client ala Minitel; video will be no problem as bandwidth increases. Colleges can provide all their students will thin-client laptops, which will be near useless if stolen, as the server details will be set in a way Joe Criminal won’t be able to change. Every student then has an equally powerful computer, which never goes obsolete.
Even games consoles could go the same way.
26/02/08 BBrian
Also see:
http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/
Nice BBrian - cheers for that link.
Great stuff. I’ll keep an eye on Prism.
26/02/08 BBrian
I’m currently administering two simple Win2k3 domains and using RDP a few times a week to work from home. It’s dead handy as all my apps and websites are left open between visits.
Think virtual desktops/Spaces but accessible from any computer. I’d like to set up a computer at home and RDP into it for any personal work, or maybe a dedicated virtual box. It would also get around any firewalls and leave few traces wherever you log in.
29/02/08 BBrian
http://www.adobe.com/products/air/
07/03/08 Andy Buck
Gotta love US MIlitary Technology. Would be better if we figured out how to use it. :)
I for one DO NOT do 90% of all of my work in the browser because that’s not how my life is (yet). Perhaps when they move PPM apps (you know and love these, Robin) and the other corporate tools (Word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, mail) into that space, that might change (please don’t tell me Google Apps yet). But I’m still stuck with one foot in the client/server world that hasn’t changed much in a dozen years or so and another enjoying the connected apps that are using XML and the trusty browser.
If our work will all be done in the browser, what we need is a stable browser. Or at least a formally followed browser standard as anyone stuck having to ditch out of Safari on the Mac will aptly attest when they’re greeted by “Your browser is not supported, please try Firefox or (worse yet) Internet Exploder.”
