The Future of the Operating System – Cloud Computing?
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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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47 Comments
Windows Vista Torrent
October 29th, 2007
at 5:55am
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Tyler S. Miller
October 30th, 2007
at 1:54am
Windows Vista – Promises Delivered? - Oct 29, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) How to Troubleshoot your Network - Oct 28, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo)The Future of the Operating System – Cloud Computing? - Oct 28, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) What is Ventrilo? - Oct 28, 2007 - chris@pirillo.com (Chris Pirillo) Making the Case for Windows - Oct 27, 2007
RickyTomatoes
October 29th, 2007
at 1:25am
I agree.
JadedBeliever
October 29th, 2007
at 1:52am
Lol he´s talking with Atlas from Bioshock!
DaMirrorLink
October 29th, 2007
at 4:29am
Agreed, much much agreed. I would want to stare at something cool, not a regular old blue background and gray sharp taskbar.
ch3sterp
October 29th, 2007
at 7:06am
LOL! I agree Jaded… thats awesome
johnaiton
October 29th, 2007
at 8:30am
I thought that too ^^
I was going to throw some atlas quotes in a comment, but it would get like -100 votes LOL
JadedBeliever
October 29th, 2007
at 8:52am
Lol he´s talking with Atlas from Bioshock!
shinobininja090
October 29th, 2007
at 11:07am
google
dndn1011
October 29th, 2007
at 11:08am
That irish guy sounds like someone I know… Colm? can’t be… hehe, anyway it is happening faster than you think… like I don’t have an email client anymore.. I use google mail.. but it is a way off to being completely online for apps. But it will happen.
DaveTheMan1234567890
October 29th, 2007
at 11:17am
DataLore quite Jerking Off There
dndn1011
October 29th, 2007
at 11:18am
The computer is becoming just a terminal. Most of what I do on the computer these days is use web browsers… which is just like using a terminal. You can stream video and audio already. The only things we need local power for is games, software development, audio and video editing. Everything else can already be streamed or stored remotely with the right software designs and architecture. Eventually the OS will be merely a terminal to the internet. And he’s right it is not that far off.
PlayerXT
October 29th, 2007
at 11:29am
Would you kindly say those quotes?
DaMirrorLink
October 29th, 2007
at 11:29am
Agreed, much much agreed. I would want to stare at something cool, not a regular old blue background and gray sharp taskbar.
qwertymac93
October 29th, 2007
at 12:40pm
god, i just noticed that chriss sounds like a 10 year old boy. O_0
ch3sterp
October 29th, 2007
at 2:06pm
LOL! I agree Jaded… thats awesome
ML Waller
October 29th, 2007
at 7:50am
Again, it all depends on getting high speed internet access to all people who will be using the applications. With the current politics and profit structure, the digital divide will widen again before cloud apps will be able to get a foothold. With companies refusing to service certain areas (to expensive for profit margins) and the rising cost of even just basic connection, I don’t see it being possible for wide scale cloud apps in the next 10 years.
johnaiton
October 29th, 2007
at 3:30pm
I thought that too ^^
I was going to throw some atlas quotes in a comment, but it would get like -100 votes LOL
shinobininja090
October 29th, 2007
at 6:07pm
google
dndn1011
October 29th, 2007
at 6:08pm
That irish guy sounds like someone I know… Colm? can’t be… hehe, anyway it is happening faster than you think… like I don’t have an email client anymore.. I use google mail.. but it is a way off to being completely online for apps. But it will happen.
DaveTheMan1234567890
October 29th, 2007
at 6:17pm
DataLore quite Jerking Off There
dndn1011
October 29th, 2007
at 6:18pm
The computer is becoming just a terminal. Most of what I do on the computer these days is use web browsers… which is just like using a terminal. You can stream video and audio already. The only things we need local power for is games, software development, audio and video editing. Everything else can already be streamed or stored remotely with the right software designs and architecture. Eventually the OS will be merely a terminal to the internet. And he’s right it is not that far off.
PlayerXT
October 29th, 2007
at 6:29pm
Would you kindly say those quotes?
qwertymac93
October 29th, 2007
at 7:40pm
god, i just noticed that chriss sounds like a 10 year old boy. O_0
JoulePlace
October 29th, 2007
at 10:46pm
Who the fuck is Irish nob? 5 years LOL? It will happen, it is already happening with programs, but a complete OS? Come out of cryo-status in 20 years.
DaMirrorLink
October 30th, 2007
at 2:02am
Exactly, you wouldnt go out and buy a brand new car for $25,000 and it not look nice, why would you settle for the same thing with a computer?
JoulePlace
October 30th, 2007
at 5:46am
Who the fuck is Irish nob? 5 years LOL? It will happen, it is already happening with programs, but a complete OS? Come out of cryo-status in 20 years.
DaMirrorLink
October 30th, 2007
at 9:02am
Exactly, you wouldnt go out and buy a brand new car for $25,000 and it not look nice, why would you settle for the same thing with a computer?
joesatube
October 30th, 2007
at 9:49am
Why would i want someone else to keep something i bought on their end. Forget it this idea sux. If this trend was true then ppl would be doing it on the LAN and i know no one who keep a LAN booting PC although the option exists.
joesatube
October 30th, 2007
at 4:49pm
Why would i want someone else to keep something i bought on their end. Forget it this idea sux. If this trend was true then ppl would be doing it on the LAN and i know no one who keep a LAN booting PC although the option exists.
ssssroryssss2
October 30th, 2007
at 7:03pm
Collective (pool) processing power as an option I can see is going to change our world, but not collective storage because people like the idea of being able to disconnect from the net and knowing that their data is still there and it’s safe. You would feel better knowing that your house keys are in your house than in your neighbours, even if you trust them.
XileLord
October 31st, 2007
at 1:42am
How will PC games work then? Stream? LOL
ssssroryssss2
October 31st, 2007
at 2:03am
Collective (pool) processing power as an option I can see is going to change our world, but not collective storage because people like the idea of being able to disconnect from the net and knowing that their data is still there and it’s safe. You would feel better knowing that your house keys are in your house than in your neighbours, even if you trust them.
XileLord
October 31st, 2007
at 8:42am
How will PC games work then? Stream? LOL
farhannius
November 3rd, 2007
at 9:00am
geek wars
farhannius
November 3rd, 2007
at 4:00pm
geek wars
Glendale1901
November 4th, 2007
at 10:05am
I can see that Ireland guy’s point. But he’s wrong about it happening being soon. Its going at a very slow rate. So Internet is probably the only way out for now!
Glendale1901
November 4th, 2007
at 6:05pm
I can see that Ireland guy’s point. But he’s wrong about it happening being soon. Its going at a very slow rate. So Internet is probably the only way out for now!
Paul Bloch
November 30th, 2007
at 4:18pm
So here’s my 2 cents:
I just had a talk with my uncle who is involved in the public school system (K-12) about technology in education. The interesting point he made to me about why there isn’t more technology being used isn’t for lack of trying. The fact is he’s still teaching the “how to use a computer” basics to teachers, the same stuff he’s taught since the 80s. Basically what he said is that it’s a cultural problem. And that is a larger problem than cutting through the typical red tape to create change.
I make this point to illustrate why culture as a whole isn’t necessarily even ready for an “online only” OS. I don’t think we’d be able to trust such an environment. At the most we should start creating transitionary/hybrid technology. But even then, I think you’d need to construct a pretty compelling case to no longer store ANY files locally. I think there is more complexity to the idea of a streaming OS than just “we can do it, so might as well.” I mean come on, it’s a DRM nightmare. No more P2P downloads for you! So I’d lean to a more conservative curve of change, not that a lot of innovation will occur but in the name of civil liberties and people’s privacy just say no to a streaming os (at least for now).
tylermcgivney1
December 7th, 2007
at 1:05pm
go to google and type google os and click on the 3rd one
TehKamp3r
March 16th, 2008
at 6:25am
I don’t see it ever happening in the way your envisioning this.. because I don’t trust People, virtually anyone there is too many security risks even with closed os’s let anlone avirtual one.
celt67
March 23rd, 2008
at 2:51pm
Is that guy on the phone the single dullest, most depressing ,boring guy in the universe ? The kind of guy who’d rather eat oatmeal than a nice steak because the steak’s too exotic.
I bet he’s wearing a grey cardigan.
Xillionous
March 24th, 2008
at 10:22am
That guy sounds retarded too.
nintentubeWii
April 15th, 2008
at 8:49am
For the Operating System to advance at its capacity, it needs to stay on local hardware. The local desktop OS is likely never to die because the contention for bandwidth will never die. If the OS exists in the cloud, it will always be tied down by bandwidth. The Operating System is already tied down system requirements when it comes to performance critical apps like games and production software, adding a requirement of bandwidth will only make it worse.
QuickSpark
May 1st, 2008
at 9:36pm
The worlds largest physics organisation, CERN, is currently quite far trhough creating “the grid”, an “internet” that is 10000 faster than our current adsl (at 10 megs). This could revolutionise cloud computing.
ibanez697
May 7th, 2008
at 5:02pm
Maybe between two remote corporate locations over a dedicated connection. Or diskless workstations in a corporate environment, but not at home. Maybe ISPs will someday offer PC/Internet combos with cheaper embedded systems (for rent). Similar to a set top box for cable. As the bandwidth issue was mentioned, there will always be a issue with bandwidth. Along with growing bandwidth rates come with larger media files, etc. This just doesn’t seem feasible to me in such a wide scale.
absher786
June 2nd, 2008
at 8:49am
Too ambitious to happen so soon! Seems like day dreaming!
Chris’s point of view was more practical & wise.