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12-18-2006, 07:33 PM
So I saw this quote.I can't wait until we have to login to Google.com in order to use the internet.And it reminded me of a conversation I had.blah blah blah centralize everything blah blah blahWhere do you see the trends in technology leading? I will use Google and its services as an example.
What was formerly the domain of personal computing (data storage, checking email, media playing, and document editing)is now becoming web-based (Gmail, Writely, YouTube, Google Desktop). One can only expect this trend to continue, as Google (an abstract entity, for the purposes of this discussion) integrates itself more and more with the individual user. What could Google steal away from PCs next? Antiviral scanning? Gmail does it for emails, why not for everything? Media management? Just tweak Google Desktop a bit here and there. Taxes? It can't be that difficult to code Quicken in PHP or XML.
One can envision a forecoming computing era where "old is new" - where personal computers are dead and individuals simply purchase barebones terminal interfaces to connect to Google. Google activates your account somewhere in their huge rack of servers. Want to access your C-drive? Google will store all your documents for you, track all your changes, and simply relay back a monitor feed. Want to watch a movie? Google will sell you access to a DivX-compressed video, even copy it to your account, and temporarily open usage to one of its thousands of dedicated graphics units to you.
So how would you feel as an "individual" in this new era of computing? Would you resent the fact that your personal information is being centralized somewhere not under your control? That your computing machine is essentially powerless? Or would you applaud the efficiency of the new centralized (and seemingly more economical) system? Drawing a list of pros and cons might help in making your opinion be more worthwhile.
What was formerly the domain of personal computing (data storage, checking email, media playing, and document editing)is now becoming web-based (Gmail, Writely, YouTube, Google Desktop). One can only expect this trend to continue, as Google (an abstract entity, for the purposes of this discussion) integrates itself more and more with the individual user. What could Google steal away from PCs next? Antiviral scanning? Gmail does it for emails, why not for everything? Media management? Just tweak Google Desktop a bit here and there. Taxes? It can't be that difficult to code Quicken in PHP or XML.
One can envision a forecoming computing era where "old is new" - where personal computers are dead and individuals simply purchase barebones terminal interfaces to connect to Google. Google activates your account somewhere in their huge rack of servers. Want to access your C-drive? Google will store all your documents for you, track all your changes, and simply relay back a monitor feed. Want to watch a movie? Google will sell you access to a DivX-compressed video, even copy it to your account, and temporarily open usage to one of its thousands of dedicated graphics units to you.
So how would you feel as an "individual" in this new era of computing? Would you resent the fact that your personal information is being centralized somewhere not under your control? That your computing machine is essentially powerless? Or would you applaud the efficiency of the new centralized (and seemingly more economical) system? Drawing a list of pros and cons might help in making your opinion be more worthwhile.