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Re: Inferno release date


forsyth writes:
> i don't understand this killer-app requirement.  why should killerapps be any
> more necessary or desirable than killer bees?

The reason, I think, that having a killer-app is desirable is
quite simplly to help to enusre that it is a success.  While
a killer-app is not likely to be a requirement it certainly
would help to make Inferno more desirable and that of course
would give it greater market share in less time.

Unix took quite a while to make it to the main stream market.
DOS and Windows took much less time and grabbed singnificantly
more market share in that time.  They both had killer Apps.
We all know how much market share OS2 has grabbed.  No one had
heard of Java until it got tied to a web browser.

To me Inferno is still vaporware.  I see and hear much about it but
I have yet to be able to lay my hands on it and try it out.  I am
very much awaiting the opportunity to try it out.  It sounds very
promising.  If and when I do get my hands on it I will likely tinker
with it.  If after all the oohs and ahhs are over, I find that it is
only useful to play and tinker with, then I will probably not pay it
any significant attention.  I may continue to tinker around with it
but in the long run I'll probably continue to do real work on UNIX or
Windows.  If Inferno is simply trying to be a better Java then I doubt
it will go anywhere at all.

On the other hand there are numerous applications that are in sore need
of a serious, light weight, and powerful distributed OS that is not tied
to a particulary architecture.  We need a general (open) OS that can run
on embedded systems so that we can produce those smart toasters and alarm
clocks.  Of course we also need standards so that my smart alarm clock
can tell the smart toaster to have the toast ready for me no matter when
I wake up.  I'm being overly cute and simplistic but you get the point.

This does not mean that Lucent should be busy trying to come up with a
killer-app to release with Inferno.  That would be folly.  One cannot
dictate what will be a killer-app.  It takes a Steve Jobs to look at
technolgy, realize that it is "Insanely Great" and instantly see how
invaluable it would be as a platform and then goes out and come up
with that killer-app.  (Sorry about the Jobs reference, I've been
watching that PBS speacial "Triumph of the Nerds" again.)

For myself, I'm just hoping that Inferno is what I think it is.
As I mentioned above, that would be a small distributed OS that
I could even run on an embedded system.  Being able to run on top
of other popular OS's is great becuase that means I am much more
likely to be able to use my current development tool set.  Then
maybe I can be the one to come up with the next killer-app.
(Any venture capitalists on this mailing list?  Didn't think so.)

Anyway, that my two cents.

Alex