Thin Internet Client prediction

[Dragonbite]

Ok, this is an idea of the future that's been mulling around in my head and I wonder if anybody else can see this happening or am I just a looney?!


Google, Microsoft and Adobe are moving programs from the desktop to internet-accessible.
A thin client is an appliance that boots up, sends a signal to the server and the processing is run off of the server, no hard drive required.
Broadband and "always on" internet connections are becoming more and more available.
Read On ...

So how long before when you buy a computer it is a thin client, you plug it into your broadband intenet / wirless network and it connects to a server (like Google or Microsoft, Sun, IBM or some new Linux distro) over the ineternet?

Yes, yes I know there will be issues of security, responsiveness, lock-in, etc. espeically for going across internet lines. I'm just wondering if this is a future that is foreseeable if these key limitations are met?

Thin clients usually connect to your corporate or school servers. I'm thinking of this as you are connecting to Google, IBM, Apple, or Microsoft (probably with a paid subscription cost) servers, where hte OS Google or Microsoft keeps the system up-to-date and provides the applications and file storage as well (unless enterprising companies are able to "map a drive" to their server).

With current thin clients, either you or your company/school runs the server and the network you connect into. The idea of this is to use existing broadband connections through the internet (not sure if current thin clients can do that or if it is only LAN/WAN).

Like a thin client, if you move from one terminal to another, such as a work then home or school, you are accessing the same desktop.

You want to change OS? Change the IP of the server you connect to on boot-up! Multi-boot means choose your IP address. So long as you have an internet connection, you have an OS. If you can boot and connect via wireless then laptops could also use this, but the need of a laptop would drop drastically because if you go some place public, you still are accessing YOUR files, apps, and desktop whether it is at a coffee shop, school lab, or even a friend's house.

A region can have an educational server with the latest up-to-date software, syllabus', records, etc. which all of the schools can hook into as well as kids at home. With wireless you could have a roving computer lab they can take home and not have to worry about kids stealing (as much).

A connected PDA or CellPhone could have all the power of a full-blown PC.

This is different, though, than running it all through a browser, which requires you to boot up an OS and then open an application (the browser).

Just a thought, wonder what your ideas on this are :popcorn:

[starcraft.man]

I think that I've read this quite a few places. The short of it being that the future lies in online everything where you no longer store documents on your computer, but do it all remotely. There are several key problems with this future:

1) First and foremost, bandwidth limitations. It would take an insane amount of network bandwidth to create a seemingly realtime experience via the web, not to mention handle all those live connections >.>. The problem i see with this in the future is look at how slow companies in the states and some european countries are to upgrade their lines (I am in canada, just off the island of montreal and fastest speed my carrier has is 300 Kbs, and I've had that for many years...). I mean they even actively stop other people from upgrading lines and giving more people faster internet (see how they lobbied against free public wifi, highspeed over electric lines and any other legislation).

2) I would never want to dump my personal data entirely on X companies server, even if cannonical was running it (I like controlling my own data). Google already knows enough about each and everyone of us and thats just by knowing our IP and what we search for. Not to mention that opens up the possibility that X company can just start to tell you what to do with your files/delete them without telling you.

3) And lastly, it seems to me that doing something like that would mess up the entire way our computer world/economy works, change the status quo which to my knowledge no large corporate body to this date has liked (just look at way RIAA refuses to in any way acknowledge the internet radio industry even though its gained a 15% (I think) listening audience out of all radio). I can only imagine that old companies would lobby government and fight tooth and nail against something like that >.>.

So, while it may sound good I don't see it happening in any near future... who knows though, maybe there will be a huge upheavel and Linux will wipe out Microsoft and establish its own internet/thin client network free of corporations or such :p

[hyperair]

I highly doubt this would happen. Think of the economic implications it would have. For example, as of now, our current system makes us pay for our computing power, in that we buy our own processors, RAMs and whatnot. However, in the case that you were speaking about, this would either be free, or you'd have to pay subscription fees. In the long run this could get more costly then just buying your own computer and using your own processing power.

Another thing is the whole data privacy thing. It is very insecure to do word processing of extremely sensitive data through the net. Data, no matter how securely encrypted, can be cracked (talking about reversible encryption here). The more times it is transmitted through the net, the easier it is to be cracked. While on desktops you only have to protect your system and you know your data is secure, in this thin client system you were talking about, how do you know that the host protects their servers adequately?

These two points are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many many more issues to come. Sadly I think that while this idea may seem good on the outside, it is just basically not feasible at all. The thin client thing can be used within company networks, where everyone connects to a mainframe computer and does their work there, but it's not feasible for home users to connect to a commercial server like this.

[Dragonbite]

I think that I've read this quite a few places. The short of it being that the future lies in online everything where you no longer store documents on your computer, but do it all remotely. There are several key problems with this future:


1) First and foremost, bandwidth limitations. It would take an insane amount of network bandwidth to create a seemingly realtime experience via the web, not to mention handle all those live connections ...Bandwidth may be "yes and no", depending on how fast a physical LAN connection (10/100?) is compared to DSL/Cable (I don't have either so I do not know what their speeds are). Even with Web Apps, the information is being passed down and then the browser has to intemperate it and send it to the graphics chip to display. With a thin client, the processing all goes on the server and only the visible changes are passed through the tubes.

Handling all of the connections, yes that would take a massive amount of computing power that is probably not avaialable yet. On the other hand, a well crafted, Linux-based system built from the ground-up to maximize the efficiency may be able to make some headway.

If this power-grid broadband ever takes off then you can do it all in one plug (plug in the computer, turn on and it automatically connects). Yes, handling the live connections would be a headache, but on a smaller scale that may not be so bad. Video would not work for a long time, but most other things would rely.


2) I would never want to dump my personal data entirely on X companies server...The housing our data issue would definitely be a major obstacle, but for schools and corporations it may not be as far of a stretch. Disadvantage is somebody else is hosting it for your, Advantage is again it's accessible anywhere anytime.


3) And lastly, it seems to me that doing something like that would mess up the entire way our computer world/economy works,...
Like Linux and Open Source isn't doing that already ... :lolflag: But seriously, the industry would adapt, just as it has since it's inception (local to internet to multi-user to broadband to web apps .... )


So, while it may sound good I don't see it happening in any near future... who knows though, maybe there will be a huge upheavel and Linux will wipe out Microsoft and establish its own internet/thin client network free of corporations or such :p

I actually think Sun talked about this before Broadband was largely available, and they were seen as being "ahead of their time".

[prizrak]

I don't think it would ever go completely HDD less you need some storage medium to avoid vendor lock in.