Future of computer applications?
What role do you see for computer applications in a few years from now?
Because the average user spends most of their time using a computer, browsing the web, everything is becoming web based and there is practically no need for other software, unless you are some kind of a creator (filmmaker, designer, developer, etc), it seems to me that non-web programmers are becoming less and less useful and needed.
Is it just me, or do you also think that the world of computer application programming is soon going to die?
Would love to see your opinions on this,
Marko.
Re: Future of computer applications?
I just signed up to this forum tonight for some help with Java. I'm a C# dev on contract with Microsoft right now and the Win8 machines that have been around the office are scaring me straight. I have a startup that I'm working on and it's so bad I took the last two weeks to switch over my work to Java.
My problem especially with everything becoming entirely web (and cloud) based is security and performance. For one, I don't want anything of mine to be stored on another machine other than my own. Second, they probably are pushing "software as a service" because services provide guaranteed, continued income where-as products are a one time bulky fee.
With Win8, I think it's ridiculous that they're pushing desktop developers to try developing full scale applications using a web standard and a scripting language. In the Win8 Metro dev docs, it even points out that JavaScript is being "promoted" from a scripting language to the main application language. This also in turn brings in further security issues as that means everyyything basically becomes open source.
I think Win8 is a step in the wrong direction, and this is where I think companies will never want to push to a cloud-based system. The main user base for productivity machines (ie. non-apple haha), imho is businesses. Text-processing office suits and productivity programs are what I think SHOULD be desktop applications. Ten years down the line when I will hopefully have launched a successful long term startup, I could never see myself using cloud-based accounting services. I'd want QuickBooks to be on my accountants computers and/or a local server. XBAP's and web-start Java apps are great ideas, but I think the desktop has it's place.
Great topic.:thumb: Sorry for the rant! haha
Re: Future of computer applications?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
averscer
With Win8, I think it's ridiculous that they're pushing desktop developers to try developing full scale applications using a web standard and a scripting language.
I don't feel pushed by Windows 8.
On the contrary, I wellcome Microsoft's strategic decision to keep Metro and Desktop together under one roof. Now they can co-evolve rather than going their separate ways. Or do you really think splitting Windows into two separate operating systems would've been a better idea?
Re: Future of computer applications?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mogalful
Is it just me, or do you also think that the world of computer application programming is soon going to die?
Horse and carriage was once the dominant form of transportation and I'm sure many developers asked themselves the same kind of questions you do when the first automobile showed up. And we know how it went.
But history also repeats itself and nothing is new under the sun. What's called the cloud today is nothing but another name for the mainframe, the dominant form of computing from thirty years ago before the age of the personal computer. So from that perspective personal computing on the desktop may very well turn out to be nothing but a brief parenthesis in the history of mankind. Or it will be back! Desktop computing may very well return in full swing again in thirty years or so.
Users are looking for functionality and ease of use and that's what I think developers should be concerned with. A well educated developer can always adapt to new technologies and what looks strange and frightening at first usually turns out to be just a hyped reinvention of the wheel. And it may pay off very nicely to go against the crowd. I'm sure good developers of horse-driven vehicles are much sought-after today.
So I go with the flow adapting to the current hype knowing that a binary search will always be a binary search. :)
Re: Future of computer applications?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mogalful
s it just me, or do you also think that the world of computer application programming is soon going to die?
No.
Applications will continue to evolve, but applications won't go away.
I think the key is to stop thinking about web versus desktop and simply think about an application, it requirements, and thus its functionality. Poeple are expecting web-based applicaitons to operate like desktop applications of old. Additionally, people expect a certain level of connectivity in many applications. The expectations have chagned the way applications are built, but I don't see applications going away. If anything, there is demand for applications to do more.
If you are asking -- will disconnected applications that you installl on a desktop computer die, then I'd be more inclined to say -- "For the most part yes."
If you are asking -- will the distribution model for getting applications on the desktop change from buying disks or boxed products, then I'd also be included to say "yes, and even more so than it already has."
If you are asking whether the industry of software application development is going to continue to evolve and change, then i'd answer "most definitely." I'd add that interface changes (both input and output), infrastructure changes, and other changes will all continue to evolve and thus impact application development.
Brad!
