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Stop arguing about the future of distributed computing (it’s here)
Mike at Everybody Is Crazy was slashdotted yesterday after writing about how increased bandwidth will:
- Enable more distributed applications,
- Make computers easier to maintain by non-technical people, and
- Force the major creators of operating systems and desktop software (like Microsoft) to rethink their business or get run over.
He has some great ideas and this is an energizing post. Unfortunately, most of the slashdotters leaving comments seem to gotten the wrong idea. Many assume Mike is talking about using so-called “dumb clients” (simple computers with little or no local memory or storage).
I think he’s suggesting a more subtle shift away from the massively complex computers we run on our desks today.
For years, I have been a proponent of moving the tools for creating, manipulating and collecting information online. Centralized (i.e. web-based) systems have advantages for all kinds of users, and needn’t result in the extreme scenario the commenters on Mike’s post call for.
It’s not that everyone has missed the point. They’re just asking the wrong question. Distributed computing is already here. Most day-to-day tasks of average computer users are online. And it works. Welcome to the revolution.
* * *
Let’s look at some major uses of personal computers by “normal people,” and see how these tasks are largely online:
Information gathering
Using the web to get the weather, directions, traffic, stock quotes, phone numbers, movie times, street addresses, and store hours is commonplace by now. Online sources have replaced print or telephone-based sources in most cases, but plenty of this stuff used to exist on your computer. Examples: The Yellow Pages on CD-ROM, or Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia we had when I was younger.
Writing
Microsoft Word is still a popular tool, but that’s changing. Already, email is totally web-based for a lot of people. And weblogs and wikis are providing more ways to write on the web.
The only things I write offline these days are papers for school. Between my email, this blog, a private installation of Instiki, and a couple of Basecamp accounts, I write thousands of words into my web browser every day.
Managing photos, music, etc
Music is still largely confined to our desktops. MP3.com’s clever attempt to change that was ill-fated, but remember: Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and a handful of other massive companies are deeply invested in online music. It’s only a matter of time until the iTunes Music Store (or a competitor) lets you choose to download the music you buy or stream it to your computer (or both).
Photos are in a better situation (no sticky copyright laws). Services like Ofoto and Snapfish are popular; Flickr and the photoblogging movement are changing the way people share photos.
Chatting
It’s not just for nerds and suburban teens anymore. People of all ages and inclinations are chatting online; one-to-one instant messaging is the most popular flavor. Desktop clients (like AOL’s) currently dominate, but web-based alternatives are available — even AOL offers one — and it’s only a matter of time before a robust web-based IM application appears (think Gmail meets AIM).
Gaming
The most-intense 3D games are confined to your desktop computer (and will be for a while), but there are plenty of web-based games available.