Reinventing the Operating System

Most software is going to be on the web in 20 years, if not sooner. The model makes far more sense that the model we have today. We will all rent software one day, coming full circle from the early days of computing. Always-on internet at high speeds is not far off, and technologically feasible...... yet 98% of computers are slaves to Bill Gates' OS? ...it will be a longer term transition, but I believe eventually we will be securely connected to the net and "rent" software, and someone like Google will step in and reinvent the operating system for these reasons. It makes too much sense for the consumer and the developer.

Most computers are used for 2 things: 1. email + 2. finding info on the web. Long-term, I am hopeful and eager to see software make a big move towards mostly-on-the-web paradigm... i.e. seeing someone like Google work with an open source community like Linux to develop a scaled down operating system that was based upon: 1. security and 2. interacting with server software. I believe this will happen.

While Windows was a blessing at one time (not having to write software for multiple OS's) it is now overkill in most cases. When speeds get increased on the internet, application developers only need to write software for 1 thing --- the browser. Interfaces can take on many forms with the capability of FLASH (and AJAX) to richly customize the interface into any imaginable possibility, and interact with server-side code.

The potential merger of Google + ADBE + MACR could create a paradigm that will be positive for consumers & developers, and be revolutionary in the software world.

-Mark Holton