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CRIMPing in the future.
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Posted by Dr Andus
Sep 10, 2017 at 02:08 PM
Paul Korm wrote:
>And that’s why there’s no *real*
>ubiquitous computing yet. With respect, what I am envisioning is not
>what Dr Andrus points out as existing today—I think of what he
>discusses as being more of a proof-of-concept than a product end state.
> It will get better—due to society’s insatiable demand for data,
>feature and function.
The future is already here, in the sense that various conceptions of the future are competing with each other in the present, as beta features or strategic plans. The question is which vision is going to be the winner.
I’m not saying Chrome OS (+Android) are perfect or already there yet, but as far as pure Chrome OS (Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, Chromebases, and Chromebits) goes, ubiquitous computing is possible, as each device is a near perfect copy (as long as you don’t save stuff to the local drive).
As far as I can see, Apple and Microsoft have been both caught out by the emergence of the Chrome OS model, and they are playing catch-up. However, it’s a lot harder to try to turn Windows or a Mac OS into a ‘dumb terminal’ type system as an after-thought, then having it designed like that on purpose, bottom-up, as Google has done.
I was also one of those laughing at the first Chromebook when it came out, thinking why on earth would anyone want a computer that’s just a glorified browser. But once you get used to the convenience of the ‘dumb terminal’ model, it’s hard to go back.
Crimping in the Chrome OS context means finding online alternatives or Chrome browser extensions and apps (and gradually, Android apps, once all Chromebooks get Android) to replicate functions otherwise provided by traditional computer software.
There are still limitations, and I am not ready to give up my Windows 7 laptop yet, but the trend has been for me a gradual transition to using Chrome Drive and the Chrome browser (with extensions) even within my Win 7 machine.
Posted by Dr Andus
Sep 10, 2017 at 02:17 PM
Paul Korm wrote:
> So what
>will fiddling with ConnectedText today be like in this new world of
>computing in 10 years?
Unfortunately the trend seems to be a general dumbing down, i.e. serving the needs of the lowest common denominator, rather than those of power users.
In fact power users have been subsidised by the masses up until recently in the world of traditional OS’s. But as people will no longer need to have a PC at home, or even a laptop (a smartphone with a smart TV might take care of the average home user’s needs), it will likely become more expensive for power users to enjoy all the flexibility and customisability they’ve been used to. That is the downside I see in iOS and the latest Windows adventures (Win8, 10 and RT). The trend is towards restricting customisability.
Chrome OS is an interesting exception and alternative in that it allows both for an extreme dumb terminal mode, and also for easy switching or dual booting to a full Linux distro. So you can have both a dumb terminal and a highly customisable OS.
Posted by Paul Korm
Sep 10, 2017 at 02:34 PM
Hmmm, maybe *your* future is already here. *My* future is not yet ready to arrive. LOL
IMO, the technology for ubiquity is still very low on the S-curve and has lots up healthy upside potential.
The dumbing down of features is occurring on the consumer side, for sure—because the bulk of consumers have never been interested in the kind of computing that this forum tends to discuss. OTOH, what’s happening in industry and within government (esp. military) is far from dumbed down. Technology developments in those arenas can be expected to filter into the open market to some extent.