On 2013-12-15 18:05 , Blake McBride
wrote:
In spite of some really great ideas, I think we'd all
agree that Plan-9 has no real future.
I would not agree about that. If you would try to
have a look at coming future tendencies, you
would be notified that there is coming what is now named as
"internet of things" where a lot of material objects in
your environment will have very small chips which would like to
communicate to each other and so on (there are already "scary" news
about arrested china transport containers of electric-irons and
kettles which have some extra less 1cm chip/device to listen for
open wifi nets and spy on them or do whatever they are programmed ;)
).
Another tendency which is not so clear now but it is also coming:
computers/devices/systems/grids which perform actions being same
time what is called interface-less (good example is your car which
automatically identify you by sensors and wireless key/cellphone in
your pocket when you touch cardoor and then system just unlocks that
- lot of computations, communications and same time interfaceless).
When you try to add these two tendencies to each other it would look
like that the next generation OSes should be much close to
Plan9/Inferno because it should easily cover connectivity and
inter-communications of these grids of tens/hundred/thousands of
chips/soc/devices per 10 cubic meters around you or worldwide (btw
you can just read story about "bad bios" and suspect of ultrasonic
communications). They(OS) should be simple regarding internal
design. Parallel programming, computing/resource sharing, CSP, etc
is highly required and should not be complicated as it is now in
world of Unix/Linux/MS/Apple and should be possible to be programmed
by individuals or small groups.
Why not MS/Apple-like solution - because then such "nets" will be
closed and not really manageable at all.
Why not Linux - it is already over-sized and overcomplicated and
highly resistive to design changes, so even an admin with 1meter
beard cannot see all especialities of these such system/nets and
cannot administering such grids manually. Also consider the security
of these complicated systems as effect of simplicity of design of
each part.
Regarding Apps - Plan9/Inferno have "reverse" idea: instead of App
to support environment where it has to run, it makes the environment
to fit the App needs - much more productive, stable, manageable.
It should be something simple, easy to join in swarm. Then interface
part does not have such huge value - even if it is ms system with
browser - this part does not play "key" role anymore. Plan9/Inferno
or their derivatives now have great chance for resurrection aka
phoenix, but not as your laptop OS with nicely drawn weather/news
widgets or animated icons, though even this is possible.
just my 2cents for what we may see next