The Future of the Desktop

[Rick Langschultz]

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.

[Nate DeSimone]

Thank you for sharing that, however it is off topic.

Rick Langschultz wrote:
>   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.
>  _______________________________________________
>  Ros-dev mailing list
>  Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
>  http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
>
>

[Ibrahim Damlaj]

Good point. However,
I think that the reason that executables are going to be extinct is because
computers are getting faster and faster. Therefore, the performance gain by
using lower-level languages is becoming less and less, which is pushing many
developers these days to use higher level (or interpreted) languages, which
are simpler and faster to program in. Also, by using interpreted languages,
the program does not need to be ported (as long as there is an interpreter
for every platform).


Therefore people tend to program in higher level (interpreted) languages
On 3/21/06, Nate DeSimone <desimn(a)rpi.edu> wrote:
>  
>  Thank you for sharing that, however it is off topic.
>
>  Rick Langschultz wrote:
> >   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.
> >   _______________________________________________
> >  Ros-dev mailing list
> >  Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
> >  http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
> >
> >  
>
>  _______________________________________________
>  Ros-dev mailing list
>  Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
>  http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
>

[Ibrahim Damlaj]

Haha, ignore that last statement (
"Therefore people tend to program in higher level (interpreted) languages")

I don't know how that got in there.

[D. Hazelton]

On Tuesday 21 March 2006 03:09, Ibrahim Damlaj wrote:
>   Good point. However,
>  I think that the reason that executables are going to be extinct is because
>  computers are getting faster and faster. Therefore, the performance gain by
>  using lower-level languages is becoming less and less, which is pushing
>  many developers these days to use higher level (or interpreted) languages,
>  which are simpler and faster to program in. Also, by using interpreted
>  languages, the program does not need to be ported (as long as there is an
>  interpreter for every platform). 
Even an interpreted language requires an executable to interpret it. Or are 
you suggesting we return to the days of having BASIC embedded in the BIOS of 
computers?

>  
>  Therefore people tend to program in higher level (interpreted) languages
>
>  On 3/21/06, Nate DeSimone <desimn(a)rpi.edu> wrote:
>  > Thank you for sharing that, however it is off topic.
>  >
>  > Rick Langschultz wrote:
>  > > 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.
>  >
>  > > _______________________________________________
>  > > Ros-dev mailing list
>  > > Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
>  > > http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
>  >
>  > _______________________________________________
>  > Ros-dev mailing list
>  > Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
>  > http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev

[Adam Kennedy]

Ibrahim Damlaj wrote:
>   Good point. However,
>  I think that the reason that executables are going to be extinct is 
>  because computers are getting faster and faster.  
I'll note we've however now reached a threshold in speed. Last year 
average clock speed went DOWN for the first time ever.

So many of the high yield avenues for pure straight line single threaded 
speed have been exhausted. You'll notice that there is a focus on 
parallelism and power usage at the moment.

While computers will continue to do more things at once, I think that we 
won't be seeing huge advancements in pure speed any more, just 
incremental improvements and big increases in parallelism.

That's not to say there won't be any, just that they will be much slower 
and incremental.

Adam K

[David Johnson]

BIOS will be extinct as soon as Vista arrives.

I dissagree about the open networked desktop. For Windows users... seruriety
is paramount and using a Thin-Client "like" desktop model is not the way to
go.. Because of the Internet be so unreliable it is not a good idea.
Microsoft tried it with MSN v1 ( I was a charter member)
The part about bio-metrics logon is going to happen. I use gmail. I do most
of my applications via networked applications.

I agree to a point.

On 3/21/06, Adam Kennedy <adam(a)phase-n.com> wrote:
>  
>
>
>  Ibrahim Damlaj wrote:
> >   Good point. However,
> >  I think that the reason that executables are going to be extinct is
> >  because computers are getting faster and faster. 
>  I'll note we've however now reached a threshold in speed. Last year
>  average clock speed went DOWN for the first time ever.
>
>  So many of the high yield avenues for pure straight line single threaded
>  speed have been exhausted. You'll notice that there is a focus on
>  parallelism and power usage at the moment.
>
>  While computers will continue to do more things at once, I think that we
>  won't be seeing huge advancements in pure speed any more, just
>  incremental improvements and big increases in parallelism.
>
>  That's not to say there won't be any, just that they will be much slower
>  and incremental.
>
>  Adam K
>  _______________________________________________
>  Ros-dev mailing list
>  Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
>  http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
>  


--
Dave Johnson
www.davefilms.us DaveFILMS(r)
Voice Talent
Writer, Producer, Director
Independent Audio Theater Producer
----------------------------------------------------------
Tired of a proprietary Windows on your computer ?
Use free ReactOS instead ( http://www.reactos.org )

[Simon Cornelius P. Umacob]

Rick Langschultz wrote:
>   
>  My prediction is: binary executable software will no longer exist except 
>  for the underlying operating system.  
Why?

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. 
Try writing Starcraft and Firefox in AJAX. I'm sure you'll retract your 
prediction later on. :)

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. 
"The network is the computer" concept didn't really take off.  And music 
and images in text format?  Why bother? :)

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. 



[ simon.cpu ]

-- 
And /usr/games/fortune futurama says:

  Fry: Where's Captain Bender? Off catastrophizing some other planet?