Will the future acknowledge us?
Posted 04-06-2010 at 05:01 PM by williamfromtexas
Updated 04-08-2010 at 04:25 AM by williamfromtexas (maek it better)
Updated 04-08-2010 at 04:25 AM by williamfromtexas (maek it better)
Tags embedded, future, generic, speculation
The internet is exploding into the physical world. Hordes of creatives have more access now than ever before to ways of making their ideas real. Technology is more than a tool form, it's bridging into art.
Hyphenated techno-aethestics are creeping into our cultures and lifestyles: wall-plug computing, work-enhancing devices, passive-information feeds, social-media running shoes, internet-based bling. All of these embedded chips have to run something.
We can see where this story is going.
But let me illustrate my specific point with an example:
A French girl that I am secretly in love with, with thick dark hair and a steady gaze, who listens to Bach and smells of harpsichords, sports a well-worn leather jacket and wears tastefully large Italian sunglasses while chatting on her new mobile phone.
Would she ever go out with me? Hmm..
Could I impress her by knowing obscure technical details about her mobile phone (without actually owning one)? Hmm..
Even if she doesn't know it, our jeune fille is and will be using linux in her everyday life probably from now until forever (as far as we're concerned).
Which begs the question: what sort of credit is due? Certain software brands are household names - indeed, the Kleenex of our time - if only because marketing machines have rammed customer loyalty concepts deeply into our ears and eyes.
Are we content to leave our humble, free favorite as a servant?
Indeed, what recognition is due a tool? Perhaps in the future software will have no other name than '3d video machine' or 'safe speak box'.
Of course the future will use linux. But I get the feeling that by its nature, linux will never get the recognition it deserves.
Hyphenated techno-aethestics are creeping into our cultures and lifestyles: wall-plug computing, work-enhancing devices, passive-information feeds, social-media running shoes, internet-based bling. All of these embedded chips have to run something.
We can see where this story is going.
But let me illustrate my specific point with an example:
A French girl that I am secretly in love with, with thick dark hair and a steady gaze, who listens to Bach and smells of harpsichords, sports a well-worn leather jacket and wears tastefully large Italian sunglasses while chatting on her new mobile phone.
Would she ever go out with me? Hmm..
Could I impress her by knowing obscure technical details about her mobile phone (without actually owning one)? Hmm..
Even if she doesn't know it, our jeune fille is and will be using linux in her everyday life probably from now until forever (as far as we're concerned).
Which begs the question: what sort of credit is due? Certain software brands are household names - indeed, the Kleenex of our time - if only because marketing machines have rammed customer loyalty concepts deeply into our ears and eyes.
Are we content to leave our humble, free favorite as a servant?
Indeed, what recognition is due a tool? Perhaps in the future software will have no other name than '3d video machine' or 'safe speak box'.
Of course the future will use linux. But I get the feeling that by its nature, linux will never get the recognition it deserves.
Total Comments 3
Comments
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Who is to say that this is true?
UNIX, multics, vax, BSD, etc have all made a lasting and positive impact on the world.
If I look for an answer, I will never find it. If you search for the answer, it will come to you.Posted 04-09-2010 at 09:15 PM by Mr-Bisquit 
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My original thought was that though linux could become an ubiquitous computing platform, it might never receive such wide-spread recognition or support from its users as a whole, who view it as just a flashy platform or a technological specification, rather than a system.
But the more I think about it, such dependency to something available universally might be the most sincere form of recognition.
Think about air, or water, or wood or dirt. These elements are useful themselves and are building blocks for other more complex things. Linux, is it the fifth element?Posted 04-11-2010 at 05:26 PM by williamfromtexas
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I wouldn't expect your girl to understand, but she might, and if she does: bonus!
My husband is in love with his Mac, and thinks Linux is a everyone's "science fair project" ... which is fine with me. I kind of like being part of a smaller club. Sometimes I bore/confuse him with tech-babble, but usually we just talk about other things.Posted 04-15-2010 at 09:16 AM by kateshine
