the better question is: what will be the next platform? there will be high momentum for change when the underlying platform changes, with todays platform it's just too convenient to compile to C or compile to javascript.
how will platforms evolve?
I'd say it will be a language that is parallel to the core and only sequential in edge cases, because thats what the underlying platform (processor, graphics card) is evolving to. parallel first, sequential second.
Good question, but I think the angle of the language is not the best way to answer it. "Killer app" prevails, and that's the story of Javascript. Take a killer platform, feature it with a poorly designed language, or even a combo of 3 more or less objectionable languages (HTML+CSS+JS), and it'll win no matter what.
I think that from the user perspective, one gets from Internet nearly everything one wants in terms of content. The new frontier, I believe, is interoperability. That is the possibility to make it work together and in smart ways all of our electronic devices, from the tiniest (e.g. wristwatch) to the biggest (e.g. TV set, car), anywhere any time. So I predict the next platform shift will be initiated by a large consumer electronics manufacturer.
This is precisely where my thoughts led me, but by a different path:
Javascript has become widely popular for 3 reasons (IMO):
* it's standardized
* it's easy (yes, it is, period)
* it's f*ing included in each and every browser, and its rise followed closely that of the web.
Moreover, the fact that Adobe came with a more powerful yet proprietary VM (namely, Flash) forced evolution of Web standards (JS included) so they could live on. That's Darwin 101.
Every use of JS outside the browser comes from developers willing to have the same ease of use out-browser than they had in-browser.
But JS, as popular as it is, is not yet as popular outside of the browser than it is inside of it.
Stop looking at the Web ecosystem and dive into the industry, you'll see.
What will happen to JS if we kill the browser?
Or what will come out that will kill the browser? And will it have an impact on JS?
The bond is yet very tight between those two pals, don't you think?
for the linux user interface, I'd say copying is all good, but you can't always copy your competitor. it's better to invent new things and make your competitor copy you. then you've made it and have entered the competition.
this desktop seems good-looking and simple to use, I'll give it a try.
I'm no expert at cryptography and all that stuff, but i find the model of the httpsy link quite interesting. You include the identity of the site you're linking to in an extended httpsy address, so that you can be sure that you land on the site you linked to.
The beauty of the Idea is that it democratizes the trust domain. It creates a web where ordinary people decide whom they trust simply by putting down httpsy-Links.
isn't it funny that the first windmills are reminiscent of oil wells, and current solar projects (in the US) are large solar arrays, blending again with the existing large-scale infrastructure? maybe this similarity is lofty associated, but i find it interesting.
how will platforms evolve?
I'd say it will be a language that is parallel to the core and only sequential in edge cases, because thats what the underlying platform (processor, graphics card) is evolving to. parallel first, sequential second.