In this day and age, with the proliferation of the internet in our lives, streaming is fast becoming a reality. From our entertainment – movies, shows and music – to even our games soon, everything possible will be streamed as and when we need it through our internet pipes. Which means it is no short leap to imagine a Streaming Operating System.
I believe this is where Windows is moving to. The very Operating System that makes your computer run, will become just another thing you stream. And what better way to test this technology than by ensuring the most demanding thing out there can be streamed – gaming.
Games, like Halo and Gears of War, require microsecond decisions and input. Playing against other human players is a game of reflexes – the winner decided by whos quicker. What better way to ensure that everything a human may do, as quick or as slow as possible, is ready and available, than by ensuring the technology can stand up to gaming.
Now, imagine the OS on your machine utilized this technology. Everything you need is streamed to your machine and everything you don’t use is not. Over time, your OS may even become better at knowing what you’re about to do than even you.
Its not too far off to think about this – after all we already have streaming applications. We call them PWAs or Progressive Web Apps, and they live on a server and only interact with your browser. Everything else is done on another computer with way more processing power than you have on your desk.
The cloud is making its way into everything, so why not make its way into your OS? A system that is self updating, self healing, no more viruses, no more corrupt disks. And everything new automatically there when you turn it on – goodbye system update reboots!
Its happening already. Windows 10 20H1 (or 2003 / Twenty oh three) coming next year, is already in public testing due to parts of it being on Azure. Which parts we do not know, propitiatory software and all that. But its there and happening. And it will only accelerate. When it comes out properly, and people can dig into it, I am sure its secrets will start to be revealed. Then they will slowly make their way into MacOS.
There is a lot to like about this future. A lot of benefits to having an OS that needs no user intervention to keep running optimally. It may even get rid of Windows Rot! No more having to go over to Grandma’s because she installed her 100th toolbar type benefits. Its a future I am willing to see.
I just hope it doesn’t turn out like the internet – ads everywhere (even this site!) and involved in data scandals like Facebook…
