The Death of the PC

[greggh]

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1228/ ... -wyse.html

Desktop virtualization, however, threatens to break that pattern. Instead of spending $1,000 for a system with the latest Intel chip and a fast hard drive, a company might get by with a virtualized PC running on a screen, keyboard and network connector costing in all only $150. The corporate customer gets the promise of lower support costs plus the security and simplicity that come from having data in one carefully guarded place.

Thin clients are definitely going to be the norm for desktop PCs in the workplace soon. Probably will happen to a great extent for home desktops too eventually. I wouldn't run my home computer off of a cloud controlled by google or some other CIA connected Corp. But most people are unfortunately stupid and don't care about their freedom or privacy. Yes, the PC will die.

[eddie]

I agree with you that we should not have to use an umbilical cord to a proprietary or a system of which we have no control. That also should be a first amendment right. One of the reasons I hate cable and the reduction of air tv. As long as there are hardware hackers, their will be some kind of PC. Who knows old real computers might become very valuable at one point. You can always build your own cloud with a web server, ltsp, ulteo, safeware, or the like. I also like thin and or diskless clients for the reduced amount of required software and hardware maintenance. I think that python and it's built in web server could be a real boost for low end hardware to be quite productive. I do see the growing possibility of a private/rebel/underground internet to combat the media industry control of communication. We are already working on a private internet in our neighborhood. My brother lives two doors down and we have a wireless setup to access to each others systems as needed. Good time to stock on hard drives before they become possibly outlawed so to speak. Fahrenheit 451 revamped and revisited.