Where Are Operating Systems Headed?

An anonymous reader writes "Dr. Dobb's Michael Swaine breaks down the question of where operating systems are headed. Among his teasers: Is Vista the last version of desktop Windows? (Counterintuitively, he says no.); Did Linux miss its window on the desktop? (Maybe.) And, most interestingly, are OSes at this point no longer necessary? He calls out the Symbian smartphone OS as something to keep an eye on, and reassures us that Hollywood-style OSes are not in our short-term future. Where do you weigh in on the future of operating systems? In ten years will we all be running applications via the internet?"

A bit obvious...

[__aaclcg7560]

What geek would run a operating system without using his or her head? We're not all mindless consumers.

Re:Linux is headed to the landfill

[chris_mahan]

Too bad you posted as AC. I was looking forward to a mature conversation about your assertions...

Oh wait, this is Slashdot. What am I thinking?

Re:headed or heading?

[Peter Trepan]

Operating systems are headed right at the top, with #include <io.h>.

Re:The last OS that won't install direct to BRAIN

[martyb]

Among other nanotechnological breakthroughs, Kurzweil says it will be possible to inject robotic blood cells that will enable you to "sit at the bottom of a swimming pool for 4 hours."

Big Deal. I can do that NOW, without any nano-anything. Heck, I bet YOU can, too!

Now, if you insist on filling the pool with water... <grin>

Symbian Smart Phone?

[encoderer]

My wife has a symbian. She can't get off the fucking thing. Some days she takes meals on it.

You should see her. Sometimes she's moaning so loud I expect her head to start spinning 360*.

But phone?

It's got attachments, and I admit I'm a bit confused by it sometimes, but I'm pretty sure it DOESNT have a mouthpiece.

Re:who fucking cares ?

[cp.tar]

Now that sounds like an OS full of gaping holes.

Terrible security, that.

Re:Consumer devices

[Anonymous Coward]

Here's a prediction, in the next few years Steve Jobs is going to make a presentation where he says something like "First we revolutionised the personal computer, then the music player and the telephone. Now we're going to revolutionise television..."

Naaah. Television won't be revolutionised.

J

Re:Wish List

[Indiana Joe]

What, no pony?

Re:They are a new platform

[flosofl]

Think of a computer as a layer of platforms. Applications can target any platform unless some part of the platform stack restricts such access.

I'm sorry, this is /. You aren't allowed to explain things in a clear and concise manner. At the very least you should be using a car analogy.

Re:They are a new platform

[Anonymous Coward]

Think of the computer as a stack of cars....

Re:They are a new platform

[AmberBlackCat]

Well you see, your computer is not a series of tubes. It's more like a truck that you can dump things on. Your operating system is the driver, and the rest of your software are the people yelling at the driver to turn this way and that. Most of what you've dumped into your truck is probably against the law but you should be fine as long as you don't dump any of it into anybody else's truck.