[GRLUG] Thinking of App Servers

[peyeps at iserv.net]

"Well I apologize this has turned into an X-bashing rant..."

Not knowing the ins and outs of X, I can't agree or disagree with you. 
However, there is something that has tickled my mind a bit lately.

Our current technology is built on the backs of those who have gone
before.  The idea behind open source is that people are free to
incorporate the work of others going forward.  This is fantastic, in that
we don't have to keep re-inventing the wheel.

But I've noticed, there are three operating systems, Mac, Windows and
Linux.  Further Mac uses BSD for the nuts and bolts.  So what we have here
is technology over twenty years old.

Now Microsoft has claimed they threw the baby out with the bathwater when
they developed their new Windows 7 Mobile or whatever they call it.

But I can't help wondering if it just might be time to start over.
Gigabyte memory and terabyte storage was inconceivable decades ago when
Unix was developed.  Given the amount of time it will take to develop a
new set of standards, one might start out by creating a conceptual
standards document based on what will probably be available in five or ten
years, and some idea of what kind of communications infrastructure will be
available.

I have yet to see what I think of as a personal computer, something that
can carry on a verbal conversation, possibly through a blue tooth headset,
and when necessary projecting images, and is small enough to fit in a
pocket.  What is the operating system that will support that?   Years ago,
when Next was being developed, one of the problems the developers were
experiencing was fitting an objected oriented operating system on a Unix
based file system.

Just speculating.  Wonder if I will see anything like this in my lifetime.
 Haven't seen my flying car yet.