The Online Operating Environment
Slowly making the desktop OS irrellevant
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 by Zoomba | Discussion: OS Wars
WebMail, Blogs, Network File Storage, Streaming Music & Video, Downloadable Games & Applications
Welcome to the new frontier of personal computing!
Each and every one of the technologies I listed above have been around for a number of years now in one form or another. I've personally been using blogs and webmail for about 6 years now, network file storage for about 5, streaming media for about 4, and downloadable apps & games for the past 2 years. I've picked up these services from places like Google, Yahoo, Stardock, WinAmp (Shoutcast), GameSpy and my former University (and employer). Because of these services, I'm storing less and less information on my PC. My e-mail sits on far off servers, my writing sits on blogs, many of my important documents reside on file servers (both in my home and in places abroad), much of my music is streamed, or stashed away on my iPod. I even have software on Stardock's servers that I download on-demand. My computer is quickly becoming interchangable with any other computer that comes with a standard set of software.
So the technology exists in bits and pieces scattered among a dozen different companies, not much of it pulls together easily either. Stardock is on the cusp with their offerings, but as yet it doesn't feel like they all fit together as one coherent piece, though I'm sure that's on the horizon. Brad has even spoken about the need to integrate many of the features I listed above into the Operating System itself. This is also a subject of speculation when it comes to Google, or the secret plans of Microsoft. We're sitting on the edge of the cliff when it comes to the next major technological shift in home computing. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Stardock are all looking to the future and trying to determine how best to proceed.
Microsoft is going its usual way by leveraging it's massive Windows Operating System as the end-all-be-all solution to everything. Just cram more into the OS and it shall be good! So far they've done a pretty bad job at leveraging their muscle in the integrated technology and services area for the average consumer. WebTV, the aborted set-top box, their music player effort etc haven't worked like they would like. Their online services via MSN (and hotmail) also haven't really gotten the foothold they would like. This makes Microsoft perhaps the least likely to be the ones to realize and bring to reality this next step in computing, which is ironic considering they have the largest install base possible. They'll do the same thing in this area that they did with the Web. They'll ignore it until someone else comes in and exploits the full potential and does the back-breaking work of making the public aware of it. Then they'll come in and leverage their resources to make their product the dominant one.
Google and Yahoo are taking an interesting direction on this. They don't install stuff to your PC (with the exception of a few services like Desktop Search or Yahoo Messenger). You can do email (and by extension file storage), writing, calendar planning, person-to-person communication etc all via their web sites. Their offerings are available to you wherever you find a computer with an Internet connection, and they don't care if you're running Windows, MacOS or Linux. The only tool you need is a Web Browser. The services they offer are limited only by the imagination of their programmers and the connection speed of their users. But with broadband becoming the standard, speed is less of an issue now than it was. (On a side note, since Google publishes all of its APIs for use, I wonder how long before someone writes a program that uses a google email account as a file storage system, and instead of displaying mailbox contents, sorts and displays the attached files, using the emails attached as comments/descriptions)
Apple is one of the more interesting in this arena. The Mac Mini, the iPod (and soon wireless iPod... wiPod? Because! yuk yuk yuk...) and their focus on sleek, incredibly user friendly interfaces. Adding in a strong wireless integration feature to their products, connected with the .Mac services (file storage, email etc) and they'll have a very easy to setup (though expensive) sleek and sexy home information system. Video, music, television, Internet... all controlled centrally, all accessed easily from any device in the house. All connected to an unlimited number of online services. Pull out your iPalm anywhere there's a wireless network... grab your iCal calendar from your .Mac service, which is also instantly accessable from your home. The transition between home and work, or the mall or wherever becomes seamless as you carry with you your entire library of information. E-Mail, music, calendar, it's always with you.
Stardock presents a completely different side of the integrated/seamless online services issue. Stardock Central (SDC) is your one-stop-shop for everything SD related. All your products are downloaded from there directly, all you have to do is provide the system with your login and serial numbers. I have near-instant access to my software from any computer with SDC and a net connection. Add to SDC, JoeUser (and BlogNavigator which isn't quite where I'd like it to be yet in terms of usability) and WinCustomize and you have the integration of a strong online community and set of services. All of which are equally accessable from any net connected PC (sorry Mac and Linux users...). While Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Google are providing the service side of the networked platform, Stardock is providing the content... the applications and games. Same coin, different side.
Things have already progressed to the point that I have a small set of installers and files that I keep backed up to a CD, so that when I have to do a new install of Windows, I can get up and running and have my system customized as I like it within an hour. I need Firefox, Norton, SDC and my theme suite file. Install, download, done.
What we're moving towards however is the ability for me to reinstall my OS, fire up a web browser and click a button that says "Setup My System!" and boom, it's all there, pulled from web sites automatically, installed and configured the way I like it. All online. Take it one step further and it could be my network profile I pull up on any computer I ever sit down at in the world. We're getting there, just not quite there yet.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens in this arena in the next 5 years.
Welcome to the new frontier of personal computing!
Each and every one of the technologies I listed above have been around for a number of years now in one form or another. I've personally been using blogs and webmail for about 6 years now, network file storage for about 5, streaming media for about 4, and downloadable apps & games for the past 2 years. I've picked up these services from places like Google, Yahoo, Stardock, WinAmp (Shoutcast), GameSpy and my former University (and employer). Because of these services, I'm storing less and less information on my PC. My e-mail sits on far off servers, my writing sits on blogs, many of my important documents reside on file servers (both in my home and in places abroad), much of my music is streamed, or stashed away on my iPod. I even have software on Stardock's servers that I download on-demand. My computer is quickly becoming interchangable with any other computer that comes with a standard set of software.
So the technology exists in bits and pieces scattered among a dozen different companies, not much of it pulls together easily either. Stardock is on the cusp with their offerings, but as yet it doesn't feel like they all fit together as one coherent piece, though I'm sure that's on the horizon. Brad has even spoken about the need to integrate many of the features I listed above into the Operating System itself. This is also a subject of speculation when it comes to Google, or the secret plans of Microsoft. We're sitting on the edge of the cliff when it comes to the next major technological shift in home computing. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Stardock are all looking to the future and trying to determine how best to proceed.
Microsoft is going its usual way by leveraging it's massive Windows Operating System as the end-all-be-all solution to everything. Just cram more into the OS and it shall be good! So far they've done a pretty bad job at leveraging their muscle in the integrated technology and services area for the average consumer. WebTV, the aborted set-top box, their music player effort etc haven't worked like they would like. Their online services via MSN (and hotmail) also haven't really gotten the foothold they would like. This makes Microsoft perhaps the least likely to be the ones to realize and bring to reality this next step in computing, which is ironic considering they have the largest install base possible. They'll do the same thing in this area that they did with the Web. They'll ignore it until someone else comes in and exploits the full potential and does the back-breaking work of making the public aware of it. Then they'll come in and leverage their resources to make their product the dominant one.
Google and Yahoo are taking an interesting direction on this. They don't install stuff to your PC (with the exception of a few services like Desktop Search or Yahoo Messenger). You can do email (and by extension file storage), writing, calendar planning, person-to-person communication etc all via their web sites. Their offerings are available to you wherever you find a computer with an Internet connection, and they don't care if you're running Windows, MacOS or Linux. The only tool you need is a Web Browser. The services they offer are limited only by the imagination of their programmers and the connection speed of their users. But with broadband becoming the standard, speed is less of an issue now than it was. (On a side note, since Google publishes all of its APIs for use, I wonder how long before someone writes a program that uses a google email account as a file storage system, and instead of displaying mailbox contents, sorts and displays the attached files, using the emails attached as comments/descriptions)
Apple is one of the more interesting in this arena. The Mac Mini, the iPod (and soon wireless iPod... wiPod? Because! yuk yuk yuk...) and their focus on sleek, incredibly user friendly interfaces. Adding in a strong wireless integration feature to their products, connected with the .Mac services (file storage, email etc) and they'll have a very easy to setup (though expensive) sleek and sexy home information system. Video, music, television, Internet... all controlled centrally, all accessed easily from any device in the house. All connected to an unlimited number of online services. Pull out your iPalm anywhere there's a wireless network... grab your iCal calendar from your .Mac service, which is also instantly accessable from your home. The transition between home and work, or the mall or wherever becomes seamless as you carry with you your entire library of information. E-Mail, music, calendar, it's always with you.
Stardock presents a completely different side of the integrated/seamless online services issue. Stardock Central (SDC) is your one-stop-shop for everything SD related. All your products are downloaded from there directly, all you have to do is provide the system with your login and serial numbers. I have near-instant access to my software from any computer with SDC and a net connection. Add to SDC, JoeUser (and BlogNavigator which isn't quite where I'd like it to be yet in terms of usability) and WinCustomize and you have the integration of a strong online community and set of services. All of which are equally accessable from any net connected PC (sorry Mac and Linux users...). While Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Google are providing the service side of the networked platform, Stardock is providing the content... the applications and games. Same coin, different side.
Things have already progressed to the point that I have a small set of installers and files that I keep backed up to a CD, so that when I have to do a new install of Windows, I can get up and running and have my system customized as I like it within an hour. I need Firefox, Norton, SDC and my theme suite file. Install, download, done.
What we're moving towards however is the ability for me to reinstall my OS, fire up a web browser and click a button that says "Setup My System!" and boom, it's all there, pulled from web sites automatically, installed and configured the way I like it. All online. Take it one step further and it could be my network profile I pull up on any computer I ever sit down at in the world. We're getting there, just not quite there yet.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens in this arena in the next 5 years.
Zoomba
Reply #2 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:47 PM
Reply #2 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:47 PM
For what I'm talking about, you wouldn't have to be tied to a detailed identity. It could be something like your Stardock account. Name, email, login and password is all it needs, maybe a small bit of detail on your operating environment (connection speed, OS so you could have a setup for Mac and PC).
Double Zero
Reply #3 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:55 PM
I would say, at least in MS's case, they seem to be more concerned about software piracy (theirs) than anything else.
Alot of us already do not like the changes that have taken place in XP, to the point of bringing MS up on Invasion of Privacy charges. Not to say they arent also attempting to make the OS and it's components secure for the everyday user, with a bit more functionality in certain area's..but these arent their main concerns I dont think.
Time will tell however and 5 years should tell alot.
Zero.
Reply #3 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:55 PM
| otherwise it will just result in making identity theft infinitely easier |
I would say, at least in MS's case, they seem to be more concerned about software piracy (theirs) than anything else.
Alot of us already do not like the changes that have taken place in XP, to the point of bringing MS up on Invasion of Privacy charges. Not to say they arent also attempting to make the OS and it's components secure for the everyday user, with a bit more functionality in certain area's..but these arent their main concerns I dont think.
Time will tell however and 5 years should tell alot.
Zero.
aufisch
Reply #4 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 4:02 PM
I think that's exactly why the set-top box never took off. Unfortunately, broadband is not, and will not be standard in large parts of the world for quite a while. I am not just talking about third world countries either, just living in rural areas in the US or in Australia does the trick already.
But yes, I agree with you, the development in internet based software is exciting and Stardock is doing great pioneer work with SDC.
Reply #4 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 4:02 PM
| But with broadband becoming the standard, speed is less of an issue now than it was. |
I think that's exactly why the set-top box never took off. Unfortunately, broadband is not, and will not be standard in large parts of the world for quite a while. I am not just talking about third world countries either, just living in rural areas in the US or in Australia does the trick already.
But yes, I agree with you, the development in internet based software is exciting and Stardock is doing great pioneer work with SDC.
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Reply #1 Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:07 PM