I hate to use that already much battered fray is “the elephant in the room”, but the future of computer-based communication is already crystal clear.
First, the ubiquitous tiny little handheld device (soon to be on the wrist) that can do virtually everything you need to do with a PC/terminal has already changed the world of marketing beyond belief of just 10 years ago.
Second, the stupidly named “cloud concept” is simply the good old Internet being more properly used as a collective intelligence. The practical development of the virtual server doesn’t seem to have been fully grasped by the commercial world as of yet. Even my minuscule operation runs on virtual servers out there in the cloud and on multiple virtual boxes on my office PC.
I run Windows 7 and Ubuntu Unity on the same tinbox and my central program for virtually all day to day work is Libra OpenOffice (which has no trouble happily switching between operating systems).
The magic thing about all of this is the incredible elastic capacity that I now have for expansion with astounding ease, so that when the world realises my genius and the hordes want to reach me all at once for my wisdom, it will be a snack. 🙂
It should not have been called the “cloud”, if ever the name was appropriate in a situation like this, “The Genie” is it and the Genie is now out of the bottle.
Tomorrow is going to be nothing like we thought it would be three years ago.