What OS is on your public computers?… Soon it won’t matter. Even though I am a long time Mac devotee, and use Linux and Windows on a regular basis, I am really looking forward to what is being described as The Web As Platform (TWAP?). There are so many web based AJAX applications popping up lately that hopefully the library will be able to shed all that cumbersome software and operating systems. With licensing, installation, security, and updating issues it only makes sense to move everything to a browser and the internet. A recent ZDnet post by Don Hinchcliffe profiles the AJAX Desktops like Miscrosoft’s Live.com, Netvibes or Pageflakes that include customized feeds, applications, and widgets. The article lays out exactly why this is the future. It makes a lot of sense for library public computers where bandwith and processer power (Don’t get me started on undersupported terminal servers!!!) seem to be the only physical limitations. Libraries won’t have to be tied to a single OS for public computers; they will only need something that can run a browser.
Privacy is the other issue. Ideally the library world will develop or license a suite of in house applications, like Zoho Writer or Writely, that handle word processing, can output doc, pdf and html files, and run on library servers. With how easy these types of applications are to develop and use, and how ubiquitous they will become, profiteering from these types of apps will be difficult. Regional library systems could possibly buy into development and maintenance of the servers and platforms for their users.
Eventually, everything from photo editing to DVD authoring to could be done on the web. Hopefully, library catalogs fall somewhere in between.