Four Waves: Software Evolution and Linux application trends

Article title: four waves: Software Evolution and Linux application trends. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

Software is evolving from single-host software such as Windows, Office, Kingsoft, to current Gmail, PPStream, Thunder, youtube, and facebook. Maybe how do you feel the software can be put together with the website? However, the essence of a website is a networked version of software, that is, running software on the server allows others to access it through a browser or other terminal.

For example, Google's search engine is essentially a large-scale distributed cluster software, and we don't need to install any software on our computer to use it in a browser. This is why Microsoft regards Google as the biggest competitor, while Linux is the cornerstone of software networking, an open-source (not anyone) system with numerous software resources, it is the basic platform for building network software. most of the millions of servers on Google are Linux. Therefore, the development of Linux cannot depend on the volume of shipments separately. we should also see the giant websites we visit, only a few websites do not use the Linux system, and Linux is experiencing robust growth on the server side.

If the above description is confusing, you can check out Google's Office software: docs.google.com. you can create ppt files and docs files in the browser. Do we still need Microsoft Office? Only the original computing tasks were completed by the local system and CPU, and now the computing tasks are placed in Google's millions of server clusters. Take a look at the following. it feels like the basic functions of common Office, but its operations are on the server side. Operations can be performed on any terminal such as the company, home, and mobile phone.

With Google's online Office software, will Microsoft Office be required in the future?

The IT industry is complex and many companies are emerging one after another. if we simply sum up the development of the IT industry, we can see four waves, and the companies that lead each trend can become top companies, at the same time, everyone's career planning should be combined with the general trend of social development. So what is the development trend of the IT industry?

First Wave: The popularity of PC hardware, a pioneer in IBM. Such companies need to produce, sell, and distribute products with low efficiency and high costs.

The second wave: With the popularization of PC hardware, the software on it began to develop, leading software companies like Microsoft and Oracle, so far IBM is still software-based. It can be said that software companies have a better business model, so Microsoft and other giant companies can appear, because the software carrier is only a CD, the distribution cost is extremely low, it is very easy to productize.

Third Wave: With the increase of independent computers, the demand for communication between them gradually emerges. this demand for networking has prompted the third IT wave of communication equipment vendors represented by Cisco.

Fourth Wave: after network hardware was connected to a large number of computers, it formed a super large network with good quality, and network software began to develop. this business model is more advanced, and distribution costs and transmission speed are faster, representative companies include Google, Baidu, Facebook, and Alibaba. For example, Google can use the software as a server-side software on the network by simply using a browser. in this way, Microsoft's powerful stand-alone client software advantages are skipped, and the software is introduced to the next stage, and the client gradually fades out, you may be able to access these software through mobile phones or televisions. at this time, Microsoft's advantages gradually fade away. In this context, Microsoft started the Live program, which is Microsoft's network software program. Ajax and other technologies will give birth to such companies and technologies. In other words, software is evolving to the server. the distribution situation is dominated by web, which is faster and the business model is better.

Imagine that, whether at home or in the company, you don't have to carry your laptop back and forth. you can get your desktop, documents, and chat records on any terminal, your own photo. Because they are all on the server side. Isn't that what Google is doing? Who said Gmail is just a free email?

Therefore, many people use the market share of some released Linux versions to demonstrate that Linux is stagnant. this is not true, because many companies that use Linux do not pay for it, many companies can compile and install Linux on their own, so although Linux itself is not profitable, users who use Linux can "get rich" by using Linux and many of its software ". For example, Google, Baidu, sina, sohu, and other companies, Linux is their basic platform. without Linux, they need to purchase thousands of licenses at a high cost of tens of millions, and the performance is not necessarily better than that of Linux. With the gradual weakening of the client, who else needs the master of the standalone software, Microsoft?

Furthermore, if a large number of input and output needs lead to a revolution in the corresponding device, the input can be directly controlled through neural pulses or currents without the need of a keyboard or mouse, whether or not a corresponding input/output chip and communication chip are implanted in the human body. people themselves can be part of the terminal and connect to a large service cluster at any time to find information and communicate with others, maybe all humans will evolve at that time, and Matrix (a large computer system in the Matrix) is not far from us.