Here are a few of my predictions of the future of the desktop. Having stepped back from the role of an internet developer in the past year I have been focusing more on the programming of binary executables. However, seeing the ever increasing change in desktop technology I am going to make a prediction of the future of executables in the operating system.
My prediction is: binary executable software will no longer exist except for the underlying operating system. Instead the desktop will be a transparent web environment that will load AJAX applications and utilize web services to connect online data to desktop data. Also there will be minimum to no storage locally on the users desktop system, instead there will be online libraries filled with personal user data which will be in XML file formats, or other text-file based formats. This way a user can use a thumb print on the computer to access their personal data, and email on any computer in the world as well as in a variety of language formats.
That is my prediction of the future of desktop systems of computer users.