Journal: Predicting the Next Logical Steps in Computing

As a long time computer user and developer (since the RCA Spectra and PDP days), I've loved to make my own, somewhat off-the-wall predictions on where the computing industry is heading. Below I've listed my predictions from around 3-5 years ago. For instance, seeing the merger of the PC with the cellphone was pretty much a no-brainer for anyone in the the tech industry at that time. Anywho, I'm curious to see who else out there likes to ponder these things, and I'm also curious to see how many of you were correct in your assumptions and predictions. As mentioned above, here's my list, with some predictions already coming true or in the process of becoming reality -- fortunately and unfortunately. 1) TV, Radio, Cable Television, Home Phones, Home Security Systems, will all be integrated into a single, individual device, currently known as our desktop PCs. The video display will be much larger, though. 2) AT&T in conjunction with Apple will become the leading provider for on-demand content via the web. Cisco will take note, threaten to sue one of them, and during pre-trial deliberations, decided to share patents with Apple and AT&T. (This is a more-recent prediction.) 3) All OS's will be byte-code (Java, .NET) based and no longer reside on a personal pc, and the right to use an OS will be based on a monthly fee paid to the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Sun, and Google. The EFF and OSS folks will totally revolt -- and rightly so! -- so Linux and variants will still be around for a while, until they notice that the big-wig computer manufacturing companies aren't really building machines for personal use any more. "They're too expensive!" 4) The only thing that will be stored on your "thin client" computer (via large, flash-like devices) will be your personal files, with the OS and data-warehousing companies offering an "option" to backup your data on their local servers. This will bring up a big stink, because the ACLU and EFF will complain -- endlessly, and rightly so ! -- about personal privacy and how the NSA and crew could easily use data-mining and track you ever move and whereabouts, especially with your GPS/WiFi phone having to be enabled -- by law! (I'll be moving to New Zeland or Costa Rica when they force that issue!) 5) A nice, thin-client fat-web (fat-server) ability, however, will be that you'll be able to bring your entire personal-computing setup to a friends house or work, plug in your mega-ultra-uber storage flash device, and just about instantaneously pop up your complete computing environment, waiting for your input and ready to rock. Ok. These are just a few of my predictions (amongst thousands, literally). Now let's hear yours!