On 11/27/2011 7:34 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> On 11/27/2011 2:09 PM, George wrote:
>> On 11/27/2011 5:42 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>>> On 11/27/2011 8:58 AM, phaeton wrote:
>>>> I still like to think that USENET will persist, as well as IRC (which
>>>> is very alive, thankfully). Like notbob (or not like bob?) I'm also
>>>> in the "desktop computers are not going away" camp. The people who
>>>> are getting that excited over tablets to say this apparently don't use
>>>> their computer for much.
>>>
>>> My view of this is that the desktop was mostly an unfortunate accident.
>>> A diversion of a couple of decades brought about by the needs of
>>> backwards compatibility to the original 8088 microprocessor, the
>>> availability of dirt cheap RAM, and the economics of planned
>>> obsolescence. We're left with big monsters that have to be loaded up
>>> with gigantic OSes when we turn them on, requiring careful maintenance
>>> and replacement with faster and better hardware/software, robust power
>>> supplies of at least 400W or so, huge amounts of RAM and hard drive
>>> space and a good amount of floor/desktop space.
>>>
>>> The new computers will be lightweight and portable and will be a useful,
>>> easy-to-use, multipurpose tool. It will turn on and off quickly, we'll
>>> use simple, cheap, quick loading, programs and it will connect us with
>>> everybody on this planet. It's the dream of the personal computer
>>> realized.
>>
>> Its also a dream for lots of organizations. If all of your data is held
>> by others what privacy do you have?
>
> I think that our concept of privacy will change very soon. We won't have

Only because people are willing to give it up so easily.


> that luxury of concealing ourselves - not like we do today, anyway. I
> don't have much problem with remote storage and have backed up my iPad's
> files and apps on Apple's massive iCloud server. It probably wouldn't be
> of much interest to most folks, but I could be wrong.
>
>>
>>>
>>> In the future, the desktop will be viewed in the same way that the cars
>>> of the 70s we a really bad time in it's history.
>>>
>>
>