Things just don’t work. But what is worse is that they don’t work for the wrong reason. So rather than bitch about why things are all screwed up now, I’ll productively focus on what we really need.
- We need a system of systems that has a common interface, or standard, for each.
- We need to be able to unplug an email client and replace it with a better one without changing any other system
- We need to completely de-couple all data from the applications themselves
- We need a single interface with which to access all applications
- We need this interface to be viable in all current edge technologies, like PDAs, CarPCs, cell phones, PCs (all OSes, of course), etc.
- We need to be able to access our systems from anywhere-even someone else’s edge technology-securely
- We need to be able to break, have stolen, or lose our edge technology implementation and not lose any data; This includes access from airplanes, PDAs, airport touchscreens, etc.
We’re not seeing convergence. We’re seeing a rise in proprietariness of applications. Google is consolidating to dig into the desktop market where Microsoft rules, not to make our lives easier. So when you see a company saying it is making your life easier by combining applications, like the idiotic cell phone companies lately, ask it whether you can plug into it the best of breed out there that they compete with.
Take a wild guess what the answer will be.