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In the future, there will be No More Files (and most likely No Folders either).

Have I completely lost it, you probably wonder just about now?

All modern Operating Systems, from latest Linux to upcoming Windows 7 or Mac OS Snow Leopard, still share this fundamental flaw. I think designers and engineers have long known that Computer Industry has a major trouble with how it gets our generation brought up and used on the concept of “Files”. Bill Gates was very bold to try and change this notion with a Database based file system, but it was too soon and the biggest issue of backwards compatibility couldn’t be properly solved at the time.

But What am I talking about, seriously!?!

“File” is a primitive concept that brings nothing but challenges as we start to realize that we live in the Ocean of people, places and devices. While many Corporations out there still struggle to figure out how to connect the TV with Internet, think about the future where all devices are ubiquitously connected to one big Net. Does it really seem natural for you to have to “transfer” your latest version of that document from your Central Home System, to iPhone 5.5 GSQ, to Office Presentation Board and back to home system, as you move about your busy day?

Simple limited “Files” as we know them today will have to evolve into interconnected and Live pieces of Content. From the simplest thing (think Corporate Slogan on that Sales Pitch email you sent out) to complex living documents (like Service Level Agreement between major service provider and large Corporation(s)), everything should be “alive”.

Of course it’s hard! We still can’t figure out something as simple as Photo or Video format that everyone can agree and standardize on. How can you expect that corporate board room to show your awesome presentation automatically when you stroll into that meeting, if there are hundreds of video codec standards?!

Ok, short summary – think Tags (same concept as XML and what used to be Categories on this blog), think timelines and collaborative work of many people. But the biggest thing I am waiting for? It’s for that “Ah Ha” moment when developers realize that their software should not come as “Files” or “Packages”, or even be Developed as “Files” or “Packages”.

Ok, now you can officially confirm that I lost my marbles

Related Post: Part 1 of the series.

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I have decided to have a few posts focused on discussing what’s next in the world of computing. The idea is to look at progression thus far, and see what makes sense to be researched and improved next. This simple formula can be surprisingly effective, due to collective “creationism” that defines computing industry. In other words – we create our future (just like in real life) by focusing research efforts (aka: wishes) on particular things. Thus, we can foresee now what will the future bring, simply by assuming that our research pans out.

And now, the actual point – For a while now, everyone agreed that a lot of our collective progress was often hindered by the infamous “backwards compatibility” syndrome. The base dilemma thus, for engineers not just of operating systems, but of many core technologies, was “Do We Make It Faster and Break old software” or “Do We Keep it slow, but not Break anything”. Traditionally, Microsoft preferred not to simulate old software standards fully, probably because it would end up being too slow to properly run older software.

But now, with faster CPU’s and built-in virtualization on chip level, they can finally move forward and just run that old Windows XP stuff inside “Virtual PC” – a full computer simulator running a “real” copy of Windows XP SP3. This “magic” finally allows the developers to Revolutionize, as we often like to do.

This magic comes to Windows 7 officially now, though I used Virtual PC in Vista as you all know, happily running Windows 98 and some 1995 software in it, without a hitch. Even in Windows 7 it feels like an “add-on” to me, hopefully in Windows 8 and beyond, the engineers will fully realize the potential “simulating” past, and allow themselves to Rethink every layer of the Operating System! What will result is prettier, faster, better technology. But where would we want to take it? Stay tuned, we’ll discuss that in the next parts of the series!

[via Within Windows blog]

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