[CS-FSLUG] Death of the Net

[Ed Hurst]

 From time to time I write a blog post with something similar to the  
subject of this message. I find it entertaining to speculate and get  
reactions from others.

Recently, it seemed to me the PC is about dead, displaced by the various  
palmtops, iPhones, Blackberries, etc. Even without an economic downturn,  
those on the leading edge of social fashion here in the US and Western  
Europe appear more interested in those other devices, and not even  
netbooks are taking off nearly so fast. There are a lot of complex causes  
why this should be so, but I suspect very soon only governments, business,  
some schools, and a handful of geeks will be doing the Net. The average  
consumer will see only what can be displayed on their tiny handheld  
devices.

Just recently I listened to a bunch of youngsters referring to the  
Internet as "old school" -- all of them had various data packages on their  
cellphone devices. The economic downturn may delay things awhile, but I  
believe this is where it's going. This is not what I want to see,  
necessarily. I'll probably keep some sort of PC around until I'm dead, as  
long as there is one still working I can own. It's my favorite writing  
tool, and I love to write.

I see servers sticking around for a long time, but the Linux Desktop will  
probably never have a chance to actually go mainstream. That has nothing  
to do with the merits of the idea, but the timing and shift of consumer  
tastes.

What do you see?

-- 
Ed Hurst
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