The Future of the Operating System – Cloud Computing?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:50:34 +0000

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Datalore brought up an excellent point during a conversation with Wirelesspacket and myself recently. The future of the Operating System most definitely IS in Cloud computing.

Cloud computing is a popular phrase that is shorthand for applications that were developed to be rich Internet applications that run on the Internet (or “cloud”). What this means, is that software that is normally installed on a personal computer is designed to be accessible via the Internet. These “cloud applications” then use massive data centers or servers in order to host them and allow people to utilize them fully. This is the way of the future for programs as we now know them. Installing and updating software on a computer will become a thing of the past. For instance, a browser will become less of a “program”, and more a feature of the operating system known as the Web itself.

XIOS is one of the bigger steps towards this goal. The one big difference between XIOS solution and existing “OS-in-a-browser” projects is that it can also run in offline mode. XIOS will keep a user’s data intact and then sync all changes with the virtual hard drive residing on a back-end server the next time a connection is regained. Company CEO Daniel Arthursson says:

It is important here to note that since XIOS supports multiple virtual hard drives, including third party hard drives, enterprise and personal ones, the data may not only be stored in Xcerion’s data centers, but also on your own home server or corporate network. This is something that many services on the Internet cannot provide today. This also extends the reliability of XIOS.” Of course, XIOS is not a full operating system, as the term is traditionally defined. It requires a host OS to boot up and launch a web browser before it can start operating. A more accurate phrase is perhaps “Cloud OS” because running it requires access to the “cloud,” that is, a network of services and connections that exist on the Internet.

Asus has released a new motherboard which features soon-to-be-announced technology by Device VM. SplashTop is a Linux desktop environment that is embedded right onto this motherboard. Within seconds of turning it on, you can boot into this Linux environment that currently features a Mozilla-based web browser and Skype.

There are, of course, things that will have to happen before this “cloud computing” becomes a reality in our every day lives. Internet connections to everyone will have to be more stable, faster… and just better. Think Fiber Optics folks. There will likely also be a lot of politics involved in this. Software makers aren’t going to like their hard work usurped and thrown by the wayside. Smaller Internet companies won’t be able to keep up with the Fiber Optic demand. This isn’t something that is going to happen overnight, by any stretch of the imagination. However, it WILL happen… whether in five years, ten or even twenty.

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The Future of the Operating System – Cloud Computing?

Making the Case for Windows

Chris Pirillo — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 04:37:54 +0000

Making the Case for Windows

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Laptop Magazine recently asked the question “Would you recommend a Mac to someone looking to buy a Notebook?”. One of the so-called “experts” was so wrong with his answer, I couldn’t stay quiet and let it go. Al Gillen stated:

It depends on what that person is planning on doing with his or her system. If it’s needed for e-mail or business applications, I would recommend Windows, as it has Microsoft Office. If it’s needed for entertainment, I would recommend the Mac.

WHAT?! How could anybody respect the opinion of someone who didn’t realize that (a) there’s a Microsoft Office for OS X, (b) there are open source Microsoft Office alternatives available for OS X, and (c) email can be retrieved and stored on any operating system.

A few days ago, I published ten solid reasons you’d want to buy a machine with Microsoft Windows and/or stick with the OS altogether. I tried to be as honest and direct as possible, given that the reasons are shared outwardly by Windows users themselves.

If you’re thinking about switching operating systems, make sure you do your research and make an informed decision. Don’t let others’ opinions make the choice for you… especially if those opinions aren’t even accurate. Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Making the Case for Windows

Chris Pirillo » operatingsystem

The Future of the Operating System – Cloud Computing?

Making the Case for Windows