Vassar Technology Today | Death of the PC: A glimpse into the future

Matthew Leung Managing Editor

Technological developments, such as PDA/cell phone hybrids and tablet PCs that have more features than laptops, have already indicated that the reign of the traditional laptop and desktop is over. Future developments in personal computing will focus on mobile devices and on ways to integrate with the internet. For example, Microsoft estimates that consumers are buying less boxed retail software, and is considering offering free versions of Microsoft Office online in exchange for online ad space. This makes sense, since Web applications such as Google Docs and Spreadsheet (formerly Writely), which allows users to create and collaborate on word and spreadsheet documents, are already free.

There seem to be three main directions that Web/PC integration could take, and client applications are the most likely to prevail as a true departure from the desktop and laptop to convenient mobile computing.

No installation with Web applications
Consider SquirrelMail (squirrelmail.org/about), the open-Web source used by Vassar for sending and receiving e-mails. Although it is designed to complement a larger e-mail client like Outlook, many people use SquirrelMail exclusively. In fact, creators of SquirrelMail claim that with future enhancements, SquirrelMail might replace its e-mail clients. Applications such as Blackboard (blackboard.vassar.edu) are also able to run exclusively via a Web browser.
Examples like SquirrelMail, Blackboard, and Google Documents show that Web application is a possible route to replacing traditional install-to-run applications. Web applications facilitate the use of mobile devices, since installation is unnecessary and the heavy work can be done by powerful remote servers rather than by a tiny device.

This direction, however, is the least promising of the three, primarily because the amorphous nature of HTML and security vulnerabilities of Java (the platform for executing programs via a browser that is often disabled for security reasons) make it impossible to create a stable yet complex user interface via a Web browser.

One example of the difficulties inherent in Web applications is the Web interface of America Online (AOL), which allows users to access and share photos, music, video, and e-mail. Its interfaces are prone to error due to its incredibly complex HTML codes mixed with flash, which is required in order to provide an enhanced user interface. Since each Web browser is slightly different and might have its own internal errors, AOL users often experience malfunctions such as multimedia not displaying properly. The help pages for these errors also demonstrate how technically savvy the user must be in order to tackle these issues.

Programs can run from remote servers
Now that we know that the Web browser cannot be depended on for using applications on the Web, we turn to a slightly different approach. Remote applications, such as Microsoft Word, are run from a remote server.

An example of this is the Citrix software (computing.vassar.edu/services/citrix/index.html), which is used here at Vassar or the Windows Remote Desktop, which allows users to control a part of a remote computer via a Web browser. This solves the problem of complex codes for a Web interface because the interface of the program lies at the remote server and not within the browser, which allows the user see what is happening at the remote server.

Nevertheless, remote applications are still not the best approach, because the Internet is not quick enough to transfer the simultaneous actions and results of a program.

Client applications: The most reliable
An example of a client application is iTunes, an application that is integrated with the Internet and combines the Internet’s ability to deliver live information with a stable user interface grounded by a local device.

Compare the client application of AOL to its Web interface. Even though the client application requires installation, retrieval and display of multimedia are more stable, reliable, and error-proof.

Kazaa and Limewire are also client applications. Imagine the hassle involved with trying to solicit and download peer-to-peer files via a Web browser without an installed program.

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is another example of a client application. AOL offers a version of AIM that runs via a Web browser for those who have not installed AIM. The advantages are made clear by the swiftness and ease-of-use of the AIM client.

The development of personal mobile computing should not depend on divorcing applications away from the mobile device to remote servers. Rather, the most promising approach is to implement client applications onto mobile devices so that the interface can be reliable and standardized for users. Also, client applications work intricately with the Web so that the traditional division between the internal device and the external Web is seamlessly combined into one.