Lately I have been learning a lot about the design of computers. I am talking about the trade offs between different processors, BIOS configuation and the different classes of flash memory. I have also learned about the electricity consumption of different computer components. This has led me to the following conclusions about the next generation of computers.
- The next generation of computers will use ARM processors, such as those made by Marvell. ARM processors were originally developed by Motorola for cellular phones but now power a much wider range of devices. One advantage of ARM processors is low energy consumption and the resultant longer battery life
- The memory in the computer will be 2-8 GB of flash memory (NAND) with almost all data storage done on cloud devices. Flash memory means no movable parts (less breaking) and no need for a fan to cool the machine. No hard drive and fan will put the weight at 2 pounds or less. (This size memory will preclude Windows 7, which requires much more memory.)
- The operating system will be LINUX because it is open source (cheap) and requires very little NAND storage.
- RAM will be as small as 512 KB; most users do not need to pay for more and this size will keep the price down.
To imagine this computer think of the Kindle (discussed here) on steroids with a screen about the twice the current size (similar to the first computer screens on MS-DOS machines). Why will computing move this way? When users see these machines they will realize that the user experience is perfectly satisfactory and they have been paying for over built computers for years. With the user interface development in LINUX, you will not even have to learn much, if anything, about LINUX.
