Posted on 09/02/2013 12:13:08 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Microsoft Windows 10 might become a cloud based operating system (OS) according to a leaked road-map. The road-map shows that Microsoft will no longer release service packs but instead will release major updates every year which also increases the version number of the OS. The next major improvement should be Windows 9, this should bring back the Aero interface in a new form.
This should also be a version in which Microsoft will merge its ARM CPU based Windows RT platform with Windows Phone. This version of Windows could also be the last version of Windows as we know it.
According to the road-map is Microsoft planning to release Windows 10 with heavy cloud support, something Google is currently doing with ChromeOS. This means that many functionality on the computer no longer requires heavy hardware on the client side, lots of processing could be done on the servers of the cloud service.
Currently Microsoft is embedding their Skydrive cloud service in Windows 8, which is for e.g. Office the preferred option to store documents. For users this has the benefit that documents can be accessed from everywhere.
A cloud based OS has the benefit for Microsoft that it will limit piracy. Many parts of the OS will not run on the local computer but require to access the cloud where the actual software is running from. Benefits for users is that they always have up to date software and that they no longer need fast and expensive hardware. But since the rumors say that Windows 10 might be controlled using eyesight, new hardware might be a requirement to actually use the OS.
The roadmap has been posted on a Russian forum by an user of WZOR, the hacking group that was responsible for leaking Windows 7 RTM, Windows 8 RTM and Windows 8.1 RTM before their official release. The group allegedly has access to Microsoft internals which allows them to release software preliminary, this makes the rumor at least interesting.
Not only will the technologies change but the business models will change right along with them. This has *always* been true. we don’t really know where the technology is going to end up (OK, cloud you say but is this really a full description?) so I’m pretty sure we don’t yet know what business models will emerge.
Having said all of that - M$ stopped being relevant about the time Gates left. OK, OK, they still do some business related to MS Exchange and some more business related to servers and AD but they’re basically coasting on past success here. I think the smart people have mostly left M$ and the ones left are probably tied up in knots by the suits and the bean counters.
What I’m saying is that I do not know what the computing landscape looks like 10 years out or even 5 years out but I do think that M$ will continue it’s well established slide into irrelevancy as far as setting the future course. To the extent that they continue to sell product it will be a pure inertia play. My $.02.
Adobe is going to monthly subscription plans for Photoshop et al. Never did like their software to begin with. I see no reason to start paying nickels and dimes every month NOW.
There are free alternatives aren’t there? Even the older versions of Photoshop will do 99% of the things it’ll do. Why pay more for that?
I prefer Paint Shop Pro. Does all I need. Pay once and done. Much more intuitive as well.
There already are cloud-based Operating systems
http://www.oracle.com/us/products/servers-storage/solaris/solaris11/overview/index.html
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