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Nat-WAN
It came to me in a dream... | |
Imagine. Imagine that your IBM-Compliant computer wasn't a big, heavy, cream-coloured, dusty gathering box that wighs the front of your desk down, or makes imprints on the carpet. Imagine your computer was a wondorous workstation. A wireless optical mouse; a wirless keyboard with shortcut keys; a
Qwerty-to-Dvorak layout switch; no more OS Specific buttons. A flat TFT screen with fire-wire & USB ports; sound card and video card connections; built in DVD & CD burner; and the humble floppy disk drive.
But whats that got to do with a WAN?
In the back of the screen is a single connection. I can't decide whether it should be a microwave transmiter/receiver, like a beefed up mobile phone, or an ADSL style connection. Thats not really important for now. What is important is what the single connection is connected to : The Nat-WAN Network. Yes, i do realise that the final 'Network' is redundant, but i'm trying to make this user friendly.
The Nat-WAN Network is a mainframe style WAN that doesn't just span across a few buildings, or across a county or barony. The Nat-WAN Network spans across the nations and countries of the world.
For the sake of explanation, we shall use Scotland as our nation.
The users terminal, situated in, say Stonehaven, connects to the local server which serves the Mearns area of Scotland. The local server stores the users files and other data. It also stores the four programs that the user used last, and the programs that the user is currently using. This is where the RAM, and all the main processing power is.
These local servers are connected to county servers. They store all the programs available to every user; from DOS to Windows XP to BeOS to MacOS to the most popular Linux distributions; from MS Office to Corel works; from Adobe Photoshop to PaintShopPro; all the most popular games and applications are available to the user.
The county servers are connected to national servers; who store back-ups of user data; add the newest versions of programs to the county servers; provides access to the other national servers.
But why would you want access to the other national servers, and what if you don't like the newest versions?
I see this thing forming its own internet, where the webpages are stored on the local servers. As for the dislike of the newer versions of programs, the county servers would always hold the previous version of programmes and would offer you the option to try the new software for a while, upgrade straight to it, or ignore it completely. in order to keep start-menus etc clear of programs that are unused or un-needed, a small system tweak program would allow user to tick the programs that they want to be displayed in the menu so that they can easily access them.
I think thats about it, but i will update this when more comes to me. Working on a drawing.
Browser Based Office
http://www.halfbake...er_20based_20office
The only difference that I can see is you'd use a different client/dumb terminal. [waugsqueke, May 23 2002]
[link]
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So you've rediscovered mainframe computing? Do you really want a dumb (local) terminal and someone else to be in charge of your data? |
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What will this give you that the internet and current computers don't? |
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Is your real name Bill Gates by any chance? With th eexception of platform, you have just described .NET almost perfectly! |
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phoenix: Only you will be able to access your data, just like a home PC. I know i wouldn't like some administrator to have control over my data, so why would anyone else? |
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pottedstu: This will give you the most up to date system without all the bother of having to decide whether you want Works or Office, a Mac or an IBM-Compatible, 'cause you can switch between the two systems whenever you like. Plus, the internet doesn't (usually) allow you to edit your data from a terminal in Luleå, in the Kalix river region of Sweden, when it stored on your home PC in userville, Anystate. This can. |
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limstylz: .NET is nothing more than a development environment with an online forum. |
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Well there's a little more to it than that, I think, scuttled. |
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What you've described is the goal of those who champion the cause of online application serving, very similar to the idea described at the (link). No thanks. |
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And even if I did like your idea, I disagree with the concept of pandering to those who don't want to upgrade (maintaining previous versions of apps). |
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Let me give you an example. Who would want to upgrade to Windows XP. Come on, hands up, in the air. Oh, look. No-one. Lets all stay with ‘98 then. There, ‘pandering’ to those who are sensible enough to not want to upgrade, same thing with MS Paint. Wonderfully simple, but if everyone upgraded, there would be no more MS Paint, despite it being better than soem more recent applications. |
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Online is one of those words that really should be banished when talking about this system, because you are never offline only off. Its like having a PC, but without the clutter. And its not an attempt to get browser based applications, more an attempt to get a new application for the ‘Internet’ a proper network of users, not browser clients, with proper programs, not cut down ‘browser’ versions, but proper robust programs, where the world is your bit-stream, and having the most up-to-date programs is as easy as switchign on your terminal. |
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//Well there's a little more to it (.NET) than that, I think, scuttled.// |
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Fine, its a glorified development environment with an online forum |
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Umm - I voluntarily made the switch, sctld. Runs better on XP than ever it did on 98. And I'd rather disembowel myself with a spoon than ever go back to MS Paint.. |
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Would it make you feel any better if I told you I've got a server running off a floppy under the stairs? That's pretty retro.. |
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Don't pedant your finger at me! And yes it does. |
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