I agree that thin client computing has a better chance of succeeding now. Computers would become like telephones -- a service. What people want is a working computer that allows them to surf, read e-mail, and play games. While they have that now, they also have black holes including spyware, identity theft/hacking, viruses, disk crashes, missing backups, etc.
If there really WERE a reliable service, it could be compelling. You could upgrade your thin client and run every single application you had been running before -- no OS to install or maintain, no backups, no hard disk copies, no re-installation and re-licensing of software, etc. If your computer was stolen, your data would not be on that PC. Instead, you'd pay $300 for a new client, and boot it, and voila, you'd be completely back in business.
But of course, it will come at a price. It's a given that your data will be accessible to all -- gov't by secret "tap" (legal or post-dated legal), hackers, criminals who are employed by the service you are using.
Thing is, most people who are on DSL or Cable are probably far more vulnerable now than they would be if it were in the hands of some third party, assuming secure link like IPv6/VPN. And many of them are running easily breakable (or wide open) wi-fi.
I hope it continues to be legal to keep personal information on my own hard disk at home, and I hope I can keep using PGP encryption when I feel like it. |
