What would be the next revolution?

[kenny1999]

I have just accidentally recalled something that we might have forgotten - windows 3.1. It was the time when I first used computer at the age of 11. Now, everything has changed. I found a website on google that simulates windows 3.1, it brings back so many old memories to my mind. It's just memorable.

Windows, computers, smartphones etc... I want to put them into the same category - Computer. Before the Computer age, people could never think of
something so powerful like computer until some real geniuses thought about it and could implement it. However, as computer came to the world, it's just easy for many people to imagine what would be the next thing in our world, they don't necessary have to do it, but it's just simple to imagine. As you can see, from windows 3.1 to nowadays windows 7 there are in fact not much REVOLUTIONARY differences. We are still under the concept of windows windows and windows. Even though you are using Linux, Mac OS, etc, they are in fact a set of windows. We now have better windows, better browsers and better programs but they are all something on the normal track. Everyone knows we want "better" and "faster", it's just easy to get the ideas. From windows 3.1 to windows 7, we have better windows, faster browsers, but they are still windows, and they are still broswers. People have made a lot of better programs over the past 20 years but none of them is revolutionary. From the time I used Microsoft NetMeeting in 90s to nowadays Skype or MSN. etc, they are fundamentally the same thing, chat window, voice calls...
They only have the different names, faster speeds, and ok... you know

Do you think there are any revolutioary concepts / products / technology brought into the world over the past 20 years. I think only computer, windows-like system and the internet could be labelled as "revolutionary".

And, do you think we will have anything revolutionary (that we can't imagine or at least only very few people could imagine nowadays) coming into our world in the coming 10 or 20 years

 

[spirit]

Do you think there are any revolutioary concepts / products / technology brought into the world over the past 20 years.

I think you forgot about the mobile phone, that was revolutionary, where would you be without your phone?

I think just saying "computers were revolutionary" is a bit vague. Over the years we've seen multi-core CPUs come out and technologies which allow us to have multiple graphics cards in our systems, don't you think that is revolutionary? We're always making things faster and new revolutionary technology is coming out all the time. You could argue that the 28nm process of the new Radeon 7970 is "revolutionary", it is I guess, it's a step-up from the 32nm processes we were using before. No doubt the graphics cards that are going to be released over the course of this year will also 28nm processes. Haven't SSDs been a "revolution" for computer speed and performance? I think they were a revolutionary idea when they first came out for consumers a couple of years back. For something to be "revolutionary" it has to set the trend, so new revolutionary stuff is coming out all the time really, you've just got to look around.

 

[Doomers]

The revolution hasn't stopped since the first computer was sold at the consumer level. We now see computers in cars, phones, vending machines, and heck, even our household appliances are starting to get in on the network revolution! It's hard to say what the next big "breakthrough" in technology will be though. Will it be in the field of robotics? Perhaps AI. For those Trekkie fans out there, it shouldn't be too unreasonable to think that Data is just around the corner, right? Who knows, maybe holographic projection will be the next big breakthrough. Whenever I think we have it all, I go to the Sci-fi writers for inspiration. For it is they who are the dreamers of dreams. Want to know what direction the leaders in technology development are heading? Hit your nearest Barnes and Nobles Bookstore and pick up any book in the massive Science Fiction section!

 

[claptonman]

Bigger and better things will always come out, you just never know what it is going to be, very hard to predict. I don't think people 10 years ago would think that computers would be able to fit in your pockets or basically wear them.

I remember waiting in line in a gas station, and a man in front of me had his iphone on his wrist, kind of like he was exercising. And of course, when he moved his arm up and down, the screen adjusted for the angle. I just thought, what if people in the past could see this now. There's probably a ton of movies/TV shows where people had screens on their arms and it seemed like a technological advancement, and now anyone basically has access to it.

That's my ramble.

 

[jamesd1981]

I don`t classify a phone, even a smartphone as a computer it can`t do a fraction of what a proper desktop can do, im not even sure if you could class a tablet as a proper computer, they are really just handy portable browsers with a few extra tools.

 

[massahwahl]

I don`t classify a phone, even a smartphone as a computer it can`t do a fraction of what a proper desktop can do, im not even sure if you could class a tablet as a proper computer, they are really just handy portable browsers with a few extra tools.

I use my phone and kindle fire far more than any of my computers these days, I think your selling the technology short. Handhelds still can't do HIGH END purposes but almost everything a standard user does with a computer the tablets and phones can do flawlessly.

 

[jamesd1981]

I use my phone and kindle fire far more than any of my computers these days, I think your selling the technology short. Handhelds still can't do HIGH END purposes but almost everything a standard user does with a computer the tablets and phones can do flawlessly.

No massah, i agree they are very useful and i would not go back to an ordinary phone, but my point is, i don`t class them as an actual computer, i have an android phone and i can browse on it, download some handy little apps, but i can`t even do the basics on it like burn a disc, or write an office doc, then there is the higher power or detailed tasks, like editing photos, ripping or encoding video, and even a lot of the things smartphone can do like play video, skype etc, they are impractical on a phone as the screen is to small.

Simple way i see it is, i could live without my smartphone and go back to an ordinary phone, because i still have my computer for skype, office etc, but i could not live without my computer, because the phone could never replace it.

 

[claptonman]

It has all the basic components of a computer, though. CPU, RAM, power supply. (battery) Of course I agree it will never replace one, but it still is technically a computer.

 

[jamesd1981]

Yes claptonman, suppose your right if you class a computer as anything with a processor etc.

Although i think all the talk of them replacing a desktop/laptop is exaggeration, the only reason they are so popular is because the vast majority of people don`t actually do anything on there computer, they just browse so to them these phones and tablets do the same job.