Can you even imagine? No OS? No compatibility issues with this system or that system. Pure 3D CAD applications delivered to your screen regardless of what you ‘boot up’ at your desk, or on the road, or on the plane? Could it happen?
While visiting SolidWorks, Jon Hirshtick addressed a question about SolidWorks on a Mac or other OS. A lot of use want to see support for other operating system right? Well, he had some interesting comments, but first, what do you say? Will the OS As We Know It Go Away?
Loading ...Jon Hirschtick on the future of the OS
In reply to a question about SolidWorks support for Mac OS X, Jon Hirschtick made the comment (my wording) – The OS is going to become less important over the years… Google doesn’t have a slide in their presentations labeled Mac OS X support. – What does that make you think?
If you consider the technology being developed, like Adobe AIR apps that uses Web architecture that runs outside the browser, or the news about Google’s future Chrome OS, it’s easy to think the ‘Operating System’ won’t be the sole force which allows a 3D CAD app, or any app, to run. In fact it may very well be the OS that is hindering apps from running optimally – Throwin’ it out there anyway.
With GPU’s taking over more graphical processing and Flash drives getting smaller with the ability to run applications, it’s feasible that even the hardware won’t have to support what we now know as the OS. Does that work for you?
SolidSmack is a very small behemoth of an online community about 3D CAD, technology, design, robots, and ninjas… Ok, maybe not ninjas so much, but those guys are COOL so there just might be something about some dang ninjas.
{ 11 comments }
The OS will journey long and hard into a land of ice and jagged lava rock. There it will hunt the wild beast and become a man. It will return to us one day mature, less needy, and less demanding….or not it could go either way.
Thats the great part about technology, you never know what will happen next. The important think I think to remember is to stay open minded to change and try out new stuff instead of trying to stick with the old way of doing things. We certainly are living in exciting times!
An interesting approach to this is one based off of Linux LiveCDs. Essentially, LiveCDs load the entire OS into memory off of a CD, without the need to install it on your hard drive. You could modify this idea, and take out most of the usual interface things, and make it just run your application on boot.
There was some talk of doing this for games, but I don't think anyone actually did it.
An interesting approach to this is one based off of Linux LiveCDs. Essentially, LiveCDs load the entire OS into memory off of a CD, without the need to install it on your hard drive. You could modify this idea, and take out most of the usual interface things, and make it just run your application on boot. Thanks for sharing.
For the foreseeable future CAD apps will run on an OS. The demanding memory and graphics requirements will require closely coupled OS and local processing power. Webapps for light duty stuff like small spreadsheets or shared word proc docs is fine, but with CAD files (i.e. SolidWorks) measured in megabytes having high speed local hardware and file access will be needed.
Oh, and SolidWorks really should do a native Mac OS X version of SolidWorks.
With the upcoming release of Snow Leopard in a few weeks, 64 bit computing will be standard on the Mac. Their GPU technology built into the OS that handles general computer is also a killer app. Competition is good.
While your point is valid, and I agree with you, it doesn't address one point that the article brings up; CAD in the cloud. It's not so much that it doesn't need an OS as that it's OS agnostic.
Couldn't agree more. And let's not forget about WPF (Windows Presentation Fundation, XAML) and Silverlight which together form a great mix of being desktop and web-related in one go. It's such a beautiful solution, which allows to gradually go from desktop to web. That's why Microsoft is best prepared for every situation. Apples OSX? No solutions there – doesn't even come close. Google? Nice ideas with great impact on whole industry, but they are traditionally very week in terms of interface design. Microsoft is here to stay for a while with the best proposition mix.
Thinstalled tools are your friend.
While your point is valid, and I agree with you, it doesn't address one point that the article brings up; CAD in the cloud. It's not so much that it doesn't need an OS as that it's OS agnostic.
Couldn't agree more. And let's not forget about WPF (Windows Presentation Fundation, XAML) and Silverlight which together form a great mix of being desktop and web-related in one go. It's such a beautiful solution, which allows to gradually go from desktop to web. That's why Microsoft is best prepared for every situation. Apples OSX? No solutions there – doesn't even come close. Google? Nice ideas with great impact on whole industry, but they are traditionally very week in terms of interface design. Microsoft is here to stay for a while with the best proposition mix.
Thinstalled tools are your friend.
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 1 trackback }