The death of the PC (from a different POV)

[YellowSubmarine]

Here's an interesting opinion about recent trends in the market for mobile devices and what they might mean for computing devices in general, and the existence of free and open general computing devices such as the PC:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2011/11/30_zittrain-the-personal-computer-is-dead.html

I don't think I can comment much on it, since the article mostly echoes my thoughts on the matter, though I'd say it's overly pessimistic. Still, the author calls for more angry nerds. I've been an angry nerd for a while, but I hope that the article can invite the anger of more nerds, because being one of the only few “angry” has achieved nothing but some inconvenience here and there.

Anyhow, the future of computing devices and more importantly, software, is both interesting and important. It also depends on us, because we are using it, we are choosing it, we are choosing what to tolerate in it, we are writing it sometimes, and we are helping in improving it, so we are choosing how to shape it.

 

[ALF]

The Angry Video Game Nerd tickles my funnybone.
The future "state" of software... less comical. I'll miss having control over everything, and loathe to think that The App Store (TM, C, R, etc) is going to be approving all over mah programmes.

"Does not want to deals with the vendor acceptance!!@1!1 Enough to deal with already" - The Damned, aka the software developers of this century

 

[JarodRussell]

I recently found my old cell phone, ten years old or so. And it's actually not that different. It's slower, it has less memory, and doesn't have a touchscreen, but that's it. The architecture, the layout, the functions, they are all there.

So I don't think the PC is dying. It evolves, but in ten years, it's still going to be the same thing.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

The article doesn't discuss the death of a PC as a desktop computer, it discusses the death of the PC as the open platform that it is now, and some of the wonderful things that this means for us all. As I said, it's a bit pessimistic to think that it is really going to happen, but it's an outcome we should work against.

 

[Random_Spock]

The article doesn't discuss the death of a PC as a desktop computer, it discusses the death of the PC as the open platform that it is now, and some of the wonderful things that this means for us all. As I said, it's a bit pessimistic to think that it is really going to happen, but it's an outcome we should work against.

Yep. And it's really sad. One definitely sobering read to boot. It's one thing to have some control over stuff, but it's another thing to start to censor everything. That wouldn't be good at all.

 

[scotpens]

I recently found my old cell phone, ten years old or so. And it's actually not that different. It's slower, it has less memory, and doesn't have a touchscreen, but that's it. The architecture, the layout, the functions, they are all there.

Shit, I’m still using a cellphone like that. I don’t need to text, take pictures or video, play music, or access the internet with my phone. I just need to, you know, do telephone stuff.

 

[Santaman]

Quite interesting, he doesn't mention anything about open source though which I can understand, most users have hardly any knowledge about their PC...

 

[ALF]

Every change in this technology is unfavorable.
Give us one new awesome feature, take away two assumed conveniences.

 

[JarodRussell]

The greatest danger is this obsession with the "cloud". I hate it. My personal documents belong on my personal harddisk in my personal computer in my personal room. And if you have a smartphone and use its features, doesn't matter if it's Android or Apple or Windows, Big Brother is watching you.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Shit, I’m still using a cellphone like that. I don’t need to text, take pictures or video, play music, or access the internet with my phone. I just need to, you know, do telephone stuff.

I would disagree with that.

I usually keep the phone on my smartphone off, because I don't need to do the telephone stuff, and I don't want to be tracked everywhere I go. I used to be fine with my land line, so I don't need a mobile phone at all. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't come in handy now that I have one.

Many people don't need a mobile phone at all, but it makes life easier. So do the smart features of your smartphone. I use my phone once a week, so even if it is off most of the time, it's extremely useful when I need it. Ditto when I need to check my mail when I have no computer around me, or I need a map of the area. These things are nothing that anyone needs (except if you're a doctor or network administrator or something), they are about making your life easier.

But even if you don't need something, it might come in handy. Since from a hardware point of view, all phones are becoming “smartphones”, adding the software part would soon be practically free, so there would be no reason to not use this features.

 

[ALF]

The greatest danger is this obsession with the "cloud". I hate it. My personal documents belong on my personal harddisk in my personal computer in my personal room. And if you have a smartphone and use its features, doesn't matter if it's Android or Apple or Windows, Big Brother is watching you.

I don't mind the cloud, filesharing/backups are useful, but I don't like the idea of a full transition eliminating personal harddisks.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I haven't owned a telephone in a few years. I carry a powerful little Internet-capable computer around in my pocket, and one of its many convenient functions is that I can make telephone calls with it.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Another good thing about the portable computer thing is that we can use VoIP and IM instead of using the services of the carriers when possible. This means that they would have to improve their services or become dumb pipes offering InteEdit/Delete Messagernet, while we can choose how to get cheap voice services on our own.

Sending an SMS costs me a hundred times more than sending an IM message over my mobile Internet. In some places VoIP over it is cheaper than a call. You cEdit/Delete Messagewan also use a local WiFi instead without changing your “number”.

That's also important.

 

[ngc7293]

The article is centralized on App stores. It starts out by saying the PC is dead and then goes on to talk about what is going on with the different app stores (or so I skimmed). I have a laptop with Win7 64 bit. I HATE the Office 2010 that came with it (plus the fact that I would have to buy it in 30 days) so I went and got the 64bit Open Office. There isn't much out there for 64 bit. I have a whole folder for 32bit programs.

I considered getting Ubuntu for my tower PC, but I live in an area that does not offer broadband. That is something that isn't mentioned. Until broadband is brought to us people out in the 'stix' we will keep our dial-up modems. Then there are the smart phones that claim to cover so much of the US but I am in one of those areas where I have to find a corner or outside just to get one bar. I'm not getting a smartphone. These wireless groups have to figure out how to cover everywhere before the PC goes bye bye. If I recall, this is an old topic, just a new article.

 

[Amaris]

^ Good point. Most of the options for broadband outside the city/urban/suburban area are pathetic. Until they get that up to speed, the evolution of technology will have to hold back a bit.

 

[Random_Spock]

The greatest danger is this obsession with the "cloud". I hate it. My personal documents belong on my personal harddisk in my personal computer in my personal room. And if you have a smartphone and use its features, doesn't matter if it's Android or Apple or Windows, Big Brother is watching you.

Same here. When I first heard about the 'cloud' -- I was like 'no thanks' straight away about it. Would rather keep anything personal on my harddrive on my computer or on a flash drive for that matter.

Yep.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

The “cloud” is not that bad if you encrypt the information before sending it or you put information that's not sensitive, or that's public. And, of course, you should always keep a local backup.

The worst part of the “cloud” is that it's a completely meaningless term that refers to a huge variety of services that don't have so much in common (most of web services fit to some extent), and it emphasizes on a negative quality of those services while painting it as a positive one (the fact that you're giving your data to someone else). It tries to make old activities more popular by hiding their shortcomings behind misleading marketing.

But a person who doesn't buy into the “cloud” buzz can make an informed decision when these shortcomings are acceptable (not so rarely they are), and how to work around them. Avoiding clouds explicitly marked as such might help discourage such marketing.

Another way to fight the marketing: I take “cloud” to mean “a web service that offers you to do something that you shouldn't let a web service do” and I always use it in negative connotation. If someone uses the word “cloud” in an advice, I automatically assume that's a bad idea and don't change my stance until the wording is changed.

 

[ALF]

I've found the cloud is invaluable when showing off work to clients on short notice. But I wouldn't store my valuable, personal data there.

 

[MNM]

I usually keep the phone on my smartphone off, because I don't need to do the telephone stuff, and I don't want to be tracked everywhere I go.

I dont want to sound rude but I am sure it will. You as a person are not remotely interesting enough to be "tracked everywhere you go", you can leave your phone on and live in blissful happiness knowing that no one is tracking your every movement. Because no one cares.

I cant fathom people who buy a phone and then leave it turned off the most part. Either dont buy one to begin with or use the one you bought properly.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I still use a desktop computer ('fact, I got two), and the closest thing I've got to a cellphone is my wireless landline phone.

Either I'm just old-fashioned or waiting for the day where everything is a holographic interface that you can access out of thin air...