Any thoughts on the future of operating systems?

[Dustin2128]

with the ipad coming out as a bit of a blur between a full fledged laptop and a giant iphone that can't make calls, do you see closed OSes becoming more popular? What I'm saying is that this would be a logical if hated move for windows, wiping out 3rd party competition and quite a lot of viruses in one stroke.

[mamamia88]

um in the future which operating system you use won't really matter as mostly everything you do will be based in your browser. just my 2 cents.

[Dustin2128]

um in the future which operating system you use won't really matter as mostly everything you do will be based in your browser. just my 2 cents.

Well yeah, browser based takeover is likley. But a few things will probably never be replaced (can you see playing fallout 3 on a browser?) and an OS can't be all browser, thin clients fail in the real world. Not that it matters for me, I personally don't think that linux is ever going to die... each to their own though I suppose....

[mamamia88]

have you ever heard of chrome os lol? oh and no i don't think linux is going to die quite the opposite. since everything will be webbased all major operating systems will be on even playing field.

[JDShu]

Our brains will become the operating system :o

[McRat]

Our brains will become the operating system :o

Too hard to update.

Reinstall can be painful as well.

[Dayofswords]

as much as internet things are used, i refuse to use an OS that is completely a browser, as thus, i will not use chrome os.

i dont trust the cloud too much, i like to have all my files local

[NightwishFan]

For cloud it is not trust that is my issue, it is possession. I prefer to have everything be on my own hardware as much as possible.

[lostinxlation]

i dont trust the cloud too much, i like to have all my files local
Yeah, I know. But I wonder if you trust banks.

[TironN]

I wouldn't touch the cloud if I wasn't forced too. For my email it's been great but the next step is too far!

[Stancel]

15 years from now everyone will be using virtual reality anyway. That will change everything.

[Frogs Hair]

As long as people continue to make a living selling software it will be protected .

[julio_cortez]

um in the future which operating system you use won't really matter as mostly everything you do will be based in your browser. just my 2 cents.
Well, I don't think it's going to be like that. It's true that online apps will become far more popular as time goes by, but I can't see a "mainframe vs. terminals - the revenge" era happening anytime soon.

I would rather see a "modular" OS: lightweight and very little power-hungry, fast for daily use, with the option to manually load additional modules (heavy "extensions" like D3D for example) only when needed, by just triggering a switch.

EDIT: Anyway, if I had to choose one of the above, I'd say case 2. They're becoming more strict especially "against" third parties (who didn't ever swear against Microsoft for the "driver not signed by Bill Gates himself with Ballmer's blood, therefore not usable" policy in W7 x64?)

[koenn]

Operating systems are becoming irrelevant. The will become more irrelevant in the future.

An OS is just a wrapper around some hardware. What really matters is the applications you run. Slightly skewed analogy: do care what OS drives the set-top box for your TV, or about the show you get to see on your TV ? Do care about what OS runs your telephone provider's exchanges, or is it enough to know that if you dial the correct number, you'll get to talk to the right person ?

So, its the applications that matter.
Now, with the current convergence of server-based computing, desktop virtualisation, application virtualisation, rich web apps, .... -- all of this marketed/hyped as "the cloud" -- and with the emergence of various client devices /platforms to which content and apps can be delivered, operating systems will become transparent - i.e you won't know what OS drives the device you happen to be using at any moment, all you care about is the content it gives you access to.


And as OSes become transparent, they'll become completely irrelevant, especially to the customer so for the client devices that need an OS, vendors will pick OSes with low development costs and relaxed licensing terms. open source, most likely.