Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst sees the traditional desktop becoming obsolete

UnixGuy

Red Hat CEO thinks the desktop is becoming a legacy application | ZDNet


This isn't a fanboy thread


I really think with the increasing popularity of smart phones and tablets, traditional laptops/desktops *might* disappear..

Opinions anyone ?

NOC-Ninja

Desktop and laptop are still cost efffective compare to tablets. Also, I can install more app to it.

NOC-Ninja

Put it this way. I have a 2tb hdd, 16 gb mem, 6 core 3.4ghz and its not overclock. I spent 700 dollars on it. Find me a tablet that will cost and perform like that.

UnixGuy

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Desktop and laptop are still cost efffective compare to tablets. Also, I can install more app to it.

I agree with you, and I don't use a tablet myself. However, just 3+ yrs ago, there was no real competitor to desktop/laptop with Windows, but today Mac laptops are competing, and so many people are relying on iphones/tablets to access the internet. Some people (a lot of people actually) only use the computer to access the internet, so an iphone will just do. So there's a new real competition, and things are changing, hopefully towards the best for the consumer.

hiddenknight821

You know what I'm even more curious about? How the Windows 8 tablets going to affect the market and how we would have to prepare to provide technical supports to the emerging tablet users. I wonder if that's going to create more career opportunities for us. Get ready to change your opinion about CompTIA A+in the upcoming years, because I think it's going to make a major comeback. Unless, CompTIA decided to make a new separate cert for tablets/mobile devices.

UnixGuy

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

You know what I'm even more curious about? How the Windows 8 tablets going to affect the market and how we would have to prepare to provide technical supports to the emerging tablet users. I wonder if that's going to create more career opportunities for us. Get ready to change your opinion about CompTIA A+in the upcoming years, because I think it's going to make a major comeback. Unless, CompTIA decided to make a new separate cert for tablets/mobile devices.

Job opportunities will always be there, and they're increasing. Data centers are getting bigger and more complicated, and there will always be jobs. I wouldn't worry about the certs a lot. CompTIA or other certs are good, but focus on the experience.

Having Windows 8 tablet is good, any competition is good. we (the consumers) will get better products and (hopefully) better prices..

Forsaken_GA

I think traditional desktops will end up becoming obsolete. Mobility is a huge driving factor.

I don't see laptops becoming obsolete anytime soon, however. Smartphones and tablets still have some limitations, so you need the flexibility of a real computer, and today's laptops can fill that need easily.

I see this happening within my own company. It's hardware refresh time, and now everyone's desktop is being replaced with a laptop and docking station.

rwmidl

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I think traditional desktops will end up becoming obsolete. Mobility is a huge driving factor.

I don't see laptops becoming obsolete anytime soon, however. Smartphones and tablets still have some limitations, so you need the flexibility of a real computer, and today's laptops can fill that need easily.

I see this happening within my own company. It's hardware refresh time, and now everyone's desktop is being replaced with a laptop and docking station.

Out of curiosity, are these employees who "need" a laptop (ie sales reps, people who travel) or are these day to day, what I'd call "normal" users (sit at a desk all day, answer phones, etc)? If they are the later, are they being allowed to take home the laptop?

Forsaken_GA

rwmidl wrote: »

Out of curiosity, are these employees who "need" a laptop (ie sales reps, people who travel) or are these day to day, what I'd call "normal" users (sit at a desk all day, answer phones, etc)? If they are the later, are they being allowed to take home the laptop?

*Everyone* is having their desktops replaced with laptops.

To give you an example, this is what's been harvested this week:

hiddenknight821

Are we completely virus-proof if everything is stored on the the clouds or we can still catch them on our tablets? I know this is such a noob question, but I had to ask.

mattlee09

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

*Everyone* is having their desktops replaced with laptops.

Agreed - positions can and will change, so might as well.

It's worth mentioning that we're being held up a bit though.

Our standard HP desktop + monitor quote is ~$700. Laptop + docking station is ~$1,000. It's a little hard to justify at the moment (plus the cost of any damages that might be incurred due to mobility, replacement batteries, lost power adapters..)

UnixGuy

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

Are we completely virus-proof if everything is stored on the the clouds or we can still catch them on our tablets? I know this is such a noob question, but I had to ask.

I *personally* think that as long as we have the Internet, I don't think we'll be ever be virus-proof but that's part of the fun.

Forsaken_GA

mattlee09 wrote: »

Agreed - positions can and will change, so might as well.

It's worth mentioning that we're being held up a bit though.

Our standard HP desktop + monitor quote is ~$700. Laptop + docking station is ~$1,000. It's a little hard to justify at the moment (plus the cost of any damages that might be incurred due to mobility, replacement batteries, lost power adapters..)

Well, when we got acquired, one of the tenets of the deal was that they had to ship us 700 machines, so that lightened our costs considerably.

Unfortunately, given who bought us, it also killed any chance I had of getting a MacBook Pro as my work computer hehe

chrisone

We have most users on thin clients and "heavy" users with PCs. Heavy i guess means ones that need more access and freedom. Our thin clients are limited to work related apps.

Blackout

I had this same argument the other day, friend of mine thinks desktop computing is going away, I disagree.

1. Gaming computers will never go away. Tablets simply don't have the processing power to run high end graphic games.

2. My second thought is the security perspective and control, you got everyone running around with tablets right? how many of those will be lost or stolen? how many people will disable passwords because they think its a pain in the ass? I think security professionals would be adamantly against tablet use. But that is my opinion.

3. They are f**king slow.

Don't get me wrong I have two ipads, one for my wife, and one for myself. But I do allot more on my desktop because there is simply things I cannot do on a tablet.

Forsaken_GA

Blackout wrote: »

2. My second thought is the security perspective and control, you got everyone running around with tablets right? how many of those will be lost or stolen? how many people will disable passwords because they think its a pain in the ass? I think security professionals would be adamantly against tablet use. But that is my opinion.

Already been largely addressed with mobile phones. Any enterprise worth their salt will have remote wipe capability. Extending that functionality to tablets isn't really that challenging.

In the case of the iphone/ipad, you can already do it, and you can enforce a profile that enforces encryption on local storage, and won't allow the user to turn off the passcode (not to mention enforcing a more than 4 digits passcode with complexity requirements). Look for the iPhone Configuration Utility.

I've done this on my personal gear after that cute little news story about the Michigan police confiscating and dumping phones during routine stops.

hiddenknight821

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

In the case of the iphone/ipad, you can already do it, and you can enforce a profile that enforces encryption on local storage, and won't allow the user to turn off the passcode (not to mention enforcing a more than 4 digits passcode with complexity requirements). Look for the iPhone Configuration Utility.

I don't know how many of you will admit this, but I had no idea there was such configuration utility for iPhone since no one stresses this often. Thanks for passing on the knowledge. +1 Apple can be sneaky sometimes.

Forsaken_GA

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

I don't know how many of you will admit this, but I had no idea there was such configuration utility for iPhone since no one stresses this often. Thanks for passing on the knowledge. +1 Apple can be sneaky sometimes.

Yup, I ran across it when trying to figure out how to get certs onto iOS devices for 802.1x authentication. After the story about the Michigan police, I looked into what the devices they were using were capable of doing.

Turning on encryption and enforcing complex passwords will defeat the dumping devices, so I'm pretty comfortable that it'll stand up to protecting your data from a petty thief or someone who finds the device if it's been misplaced.

It does allow for a generous grace period, so you're not constantly having to type in your password.

it_consultant

I don't think PCs are going away for the business anytime soon, but I do see a sea change in consumer habits. There is a demand for "appliance" style computing, which your iPad type device delivers. I am hanging on to my computers (I have three) but it wouldn't surprise me if average Joe can get away with a tablet or netbook. Windows 8 will really push this change if it is able to run on the limited resources of a tablet, but its capable of everything we are used to a PC doing.

Zartanasaurus

Give me a tablet with a screen size comparable to my laptop and I'll consider it. Right now, I'm more of a laptop user.

I think tablets will eventually be a big hit in the education market vs traditional paper bound books.

UnixGuy

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

.....I think tablets will eventually be a big hit in the education market vs traditional paper bound books.

true ! check this out:
Apple, Microsoft meet with Turkish minister, may bid to supply 15 million tablets to schools -- Engadget

powerfool

Very interesting discussion here. I have a few items for consideration:

1) Tablets as the new mobile thin client: sure, tablets have their own apps, and there are users that may require more power... just load of a thin client app and connect them from wherever they are.

2) Tablets can have connectivity for input devices: I would love to have a LARGE tablet as a laptop/desktop replacement. As a matter of fact I was developing requirements for such a thing pre-iPad times and when I heard the iPad marketing, I thought this was it... but it wasn't. Give me a 17-22" tablet that I can connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Then, I can choose how I use it for any given task.

3) The killer tablet apps are games: to the person who was discussing gaming machines... the number one selling app category on smartphones and tablets are games. Yes, they aren't WoW or the next FPS, but we will get there.

Just food for thought. Also, I would imagine that we might see a convergence of smartphone and tablets in the future. These are essentially the same types of devices, just geared towards a different functionality. When the day comes that you can use your smartphone for these new functions, that tablet may die off. Consider a radical change in I/O capabilities. What if your smartphone could just stay in your pocket and you wore unobtrusive I/O devices? Like a wristwatch with an LED/LCD display that could be used for various widgets? Or a holographic HUD in your glasses? Also, the "Minority Report" style stuff is within the possible... instead of ridiculous looking gloves, if the fingers would be tracked, like the XBox Kinnect or less obtrusive "rings," it might catch on. Look at bluetooth headsets... they have been rather acceptable.

wd40

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

*Everyone* is having their desktops replaced with laptops.

To give you an example, this is what's been harvested this week:

Wow, we are not the only company that still have GX270 towers in production I really hate them, they will be gone soon with the GX620's and 745's

The silver one's I am not familiar with :

wd40

powerfool wrote: »

Just food for thought. Also, I would imagine that we might see a convergence of smartphone and tablets in the future. These are essentially the same types of devices, just geared towards a different functionality. When the day comes that you can use your smartphone for these new functions, that tablet may die off. Consider a radical change in I/O capabilities. What if your smartphone could just stay in your pocket and you wore unobtrusive I/O devices? Like a wristwatch with an LED/LCD display that could be used for various widgets? Or a holographic HUD in your glasses? Also, the "Minority Report" style stuff is within the possible... instead of ridiculous looking gloves, if the fingers would be tracked, like the XBox Kinnect or less obtrusive "rings," it might catch on. Look at bluetooth headsets... they have been rather acceptable.

Sony Ericsson made Bluetoothed watches that connect to your mobile, it did not work now should Apple decide to make an iWatch I am sure it would be the thing to have .. MBW-150MUSIC | Sony Ericsson Bluetooth® Watch | Sony | Sony Store USA Sony Ericsson's MBW-100 Bluetooth watch reviewed -- Engadget

hiddenknight821

wd40 wrote: »

Sony Ericsson made Bluetoothed watches that connect to your mobile, it did not work now should Apple decide to make an iWatch I am sure it would be the thing to have .. MBW-150MUSIC | Sony Ericsson Bluetooth® Watch | Sony | Sony Store USA Sony Ericsson's MBW-100 Bluetooth watch reviewed -- Engadget

I think that's nothing new. I believe today's iPod Nano can accomplish the same task if they have the built-in Bluetooth. If not, then all Apple have to do is add it to their next generations of iPod Nanos

Lizano

I think IBM was correct when it said,. the PC is new mainframe, I don´t think the PC is dead, its far from dead.

IBM: The PC is the new mainframe

elTorito

Tablets being the primary client device? I'm not so sure. Ever tried doing any kind of productivity work involving a lot of typing with a touchscreen? Sure, you can connect all sorts of input devices to a tablet to make typing easier, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having a tablet in the first place, IMO. For GUI-only work, I can see the benefits, but to me, a netbook works much more comfortably.

SteveLord

Hmm.....biased opinion anyone? RedHat commenting on desktops? Of course this could work in their favor!

Anyway, the main problem with smarthphones and tablets, is the market is moving faster than what the businesses/enterprises/governments can keep up with in terms of tracking, managing and securing them. Whether they are their own devices or personal ones.

higherho

When Desktops go away and if users do not work from home they wont get laptops either. They will work from a server farm. My parents work for the state and their departments have just the monitor and keyboard at the desk and an ethernet cord, thats it. They all connect to roughly 15 servers in the server room. So a company cloud basically.

Priston

I don't think they are talking about tablets vs laptops vs desktops

I think they are saying that in the work environment thin-clients are taking over. With all of the mobile computing and virtualization going on a new bread of thin-clients will arise, which instead of running a normal OS they will be run using a virtual OS stored on "the cloud" or some company VPN.

powerfool

Priston wrote: »

I don't think they are talking about tablets vs laptops vs desktops

I think they are saying that in the work environment thin-clients are taking over. With all of the mobile computing and virtualization going on a new bread of thin-clients will arise, which instead of running a normal OS they will be run using a virtual OS stored on "the cloud" or some company VPN.

Well, it is all of those things. Heck, my outlook could be all wrong and apps could be geared to work on tablets more effectively, ending "VDI" or Citrix/RDP access as we know it. A lot of possibilities.

However, I think that Windows 8 will be the real test for the tablet. If you look at the iPad, it is the same market that Apple always targets: independent end users. Corporations need the ability to control their operating environment, and Windows 8 will offer this. The RIM Blackberry Playbook probably allows for this, more or less, but I think that RIM may be on its last leg... the DoD is essentially propping them up by "endorsing" the Playbook for DoD usage, and likely only because of the existing investments in their smartphones and BES servers.

Anyhow, this is really Linux's opportunity to shine... which is the point of the RedHat promotion. Everyone has claimed the MS stinks for so long, but they haven't really offered anything substantive on the desktop. Android has been the major thing lately, for end users, and if it catches on and they offer corporate management capabilities, it will only be to their benefit.