Skip to main content /TECH with IDG.net
CNN.com /TECH
CNN TV
EDITIONS

Linux's 'Maddog' sees computers everywhere

image
IDG.net

(IDG) -- Microsoft's Bill Gates says the future of computing lies with the PC, and Oracle's Larry Ellison claims we will all move to thin clients. But while these two rivals battle over where computers will go, John "Maddog" Hall, executive director of Linux International, said that his technology crystal ball shows that both Gates' and Ellison's predictions will come true with a twist.

Hall believes the world will move toward what he calls "ubiquitous computing" where users take advantage of all kinds of different computing devices -- some of which they hardly know are there. Speaking at the Apache Con conference held here last week, the Linux operating system evangelist painted a picture of truly pervasive computing.

IDG.net INFOCENTER
IDG.net
Related IDG.net Stories
Features
Visit an IDG site


IDG.net search



"Mr. Bill who lives in Redmond says the future is the PC," Hall said of Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect. "When he says PC, he seems to be talking about something running Windows or Windows NT.

"Larry, this other guy making databases, says the future is some kind of thin client," Hall said, referring to Larry Ellison, chairman and CEO at Oracle. "He thinks all of the data and all of the computing will be handled on large servers."

The problem with most PCs, Hall argued, is that they are fixed in a room and are limited for some computing purposes. While the machines will grow in power, PCs will not give all users the flexibility they want. So, Hall thinks they will serve an important role in the future but will not be the center of home computing, as Gates has proposed.

On the server front, Hall agreed that large amounts of information will be kept on hardware managed by vendors and that this will help save users time and money. However, he also thinks users will always have information they want stored on their own machine and not shared with others.

"There are things I would not trust on any computer other than my own," Hall said.

Instead, users will have a mix of computing tools from PCs and servers to high-powered handheld devices for use on the road and some even more advanced "ubiquitous" computing aids.

By linking PCs, handhelds, and servers with high-tech home appliances -- like an Internet-enabled refrigerator -- users will have constant access to information which affects their lives. On the way to the grocery store, a user could receive a message from the fridge indicating which purchases need to be made and where to find goods for the lowest cost. Then, after returning home, the fridge could tell the users recipes they can make based on the food purchased.

Hall predicts a time when users will have computer-aided glasses and cameras that record information throughout their lives. While the user shops, such a camera could record where certain items are in the store without the user's intervention. The next time the user enters the store with his or her computer-generated shopping list, the camera could work in tandem with a handheld device to show a map of where everything is located and the quickest route to finish the supermarket trip.

Computer-aided glasses could also record faces and help people remember things about the individuals they interact with.

"The glasses would see a face coming and send information so you could say, 'Harry, how are you and your kids -- Jane, Tom and Jennifer,'" Hall joked.

In order to make all of this happen, developers must tighten up their programming practices, according to Hall. He wants developers to think ahead when writing code.

"We should design applications which know you will work with them a lot on a PC but that also have specific parts written for use on a Palm," he said. Right from the start, developers could design those functions for the Palm to deliver only essential pieces of information in clear, tight ways.

As computing takes on a new face, users will not even realize it is around, Hall argued. Even things like tweak-it-yourself databases will be extremely easy to use.

"Databases will be so simple that even my mother and father can use them, and that is saying a lot," Hall quipped.

As computers grow in power and presence, Hall urged users not to be overcome by the frenetic pace of life. The machines will make many things easier, but he does not want their usefulness to pull people away from what he considers truly important.

"If you go into the office at 9 and do a good day's work, you should be able to go home at 5 and see your family and your kids grow up," he concluded.



RELATED STORIES:
Access applications from your PDA wirelessly
March 27, 2001
Review: A look at the next Windows
March 27, 2001
Limited mobility doesn't stop senior surfers
March 5, 2001
High-tech homes of the future are here today
January 11, 2000
The house of the future is here today
January 3, 2000

RELATED IDG.net STORIES:
Gates touts Internet, but acknowledges excesses
(InfoWorld.com)
Gates announces Windows XP Beta 2 availability at conference
(InfoWorld.com)
Gates doubts WAP future
(IDG.net)
Gates says Microsoft will thrive
(IDG.net)
Gates offers peek at upcoming Windows XP
(The Industry Standard)
Bill Gates donates $100M to AIDS research
(IDG.net)
Microsoft, Gates to be sued for employment bias
(InfoWorld.com)
Gates seeks feds help in clash over instant messaging
(InfoWorld.com)

RELATED SITES:
Microsoft


Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.


 Search   





MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 













Back to the top