I am making a prediction: In 15 years, Microsoft will have fallen from its pedastal.
In 15 years, operating systems will be transparent. Whether this is an echo of an already established theory, I can’t say, but to me it makes perfect sense. In the future, it won’t matter what you run, Vista, OS 13, Fedora Core 9, all operating systems will function the same way.
Why do I say that? Because the browser will be king. Think about it… It doesn’t matter what you boot up with, as long as it can access the internet. As long as a web browser is in place that gets you where you need to go, Microsoft will fall.
With the emergence of Software as a Service applications (SaaS) that run through the browser(Google apps, online photo editing, etc), a functional office package will be non-existent. Everything will be provided online, most likely free, with equal if not better functionality.
Why would a business pay for licenses from Microsoft if it can access a free alternative online? In 15 years, it won’t matter how a computer boots up, as long as it has internet capability.
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I hope not…. I do not want to be dependant on more companies to get something done. Right now, without the Internet, I can still get plenty done. I would like to keep it that way.
Jason,
I couldn’t agree more! Blake Ross, Firefox founder, is working on a new project that will help users move pretty much everything online.
I definitely think this is why Microsoft has been changing their focus and branching out to Computer and Video gaming, phones, etc.
My question is, can we trust storing everything on one company’s servers? Not likely, but if they go under or something happens, would we lose everything?
Hey Scott!
I hear you there, I do have to admit. Microsoft holds a lot of keys that people really don’t want to lose, especially if the alternative is open source. Then again, people will do a lot if they don’t have to pay anything!
Kyle,
That is a question for the ages I think. I would hope that the company who led the open source shift was reliable to the tenth degree. For instance, Google has how many thousands of servers around the world.. If there was a competitor that would outpace Microsoft, I would hope that they would take the same sort of initiative.
MS has definitely realized that they need to branch out and innovate. The years of the lone OS are over, and I think we will be privy to a nice little software war in our lifetime :0)
There will always be a need for systems for special purposes, such as ERP manufacturing/finance, database, and other large scale speciality systems. But outside of that need, it will be true. The browser and email client will be the internet’s dominant applications.
You have a great point Leslie. That really touches the one reason why I haven’t switched to Mac or Linux completely myself.. There is a need to have those special purpose systems. And a lot of times, that software is built on MS.
PC’s are a very personal thing. It is the thing that logs all of our personal preferences, habits, memories, and other things. Why do I want to have no control over the information I give.
Also a good point. Unfortunately, PC’s are just as hackable as servers. There are precautions to be taken in both instances, whether your data lives on a network or on your hard drive.
It will be up to a company or an intermediary to come up with the proper security protocols to protect the client. Definitely not a job I would readily sign up for!