Applications to turn tech around

John C. Dvorak suggests that the following "killer" applications could turn the information technology industry around:

-- (Multi)Core development
-- Robots
-- The talking and listening computer
-- Machine translation
-- Handwriting recognition

Read more the full article: Fix Our Industry, Please!

9 uses for Twitter

Twitter is a very useful new web tool. You can request to follow me on .



If you want to know more about the service, read John C Dvorak's article Nine Ways to Use Twitter:
Microblogging
1. Twitter Witness = Twitness
2. Breaking News
3. Communication
4. Feedback
5. Crowd-sourcing
6. Informal Polling
7. Public Address System
8. Sales and Marketing
9. Tweet Ups

More cloud computing criticism

When using the cloud, don't forget to backup. Just think what would happen if one of your Google Docs just disappeared overnight?

Read more about it on the article Retro Computing and the Cloud.

John C. Dvorak on the state of education

Are we creating unethical kids by not modernizing the school system?

Read the article by John C. Dvorak in PC Magazine's website

John C Dvorak's phone of the future wish list

Here it is, John C Dvorak's wish list for the phone of the future:
- Smart screens and keyboards
- Voice command and speech recognition
- Clear voice technology
- Situational awareness
- Ownership awareness
- Induction charging
- Broadcast TV reception
- Built-in projector
- Point-to-point walkie-talkie
- Extensible

Of all these wishes I agree particularly on "Smart screens and keyboards". I would like to be able to wirelessly connect my iPhone-like device to a proper workstation with full-size screen, keyboard and mouse.

Read the full story on PC magazine's site.

Criticism of cloud computing

John Dvorak presents some criticism of cloud computing, namely:

1) Performance issues.
2) Software is software.
3) Dependency problems.
4) Cyber-terrorism.
5) The Internet is ill suited for this purpose.
6) Kills innovation.
7) Reverses individual control.

You can read more about it in John's article on-line "Stormy weather for cloud computing".

John C. Dvorak on Software License Agreements

Generally speaking, a software license and various terms-of-service and terms-of-use agreements say the following:

• Whatever you think we said, or whatever we said, about the product may have nothing to do with reality, and you agree not to expect that it does.
• No matter what happens, including damage to your equipment or even someone's death, you agree not to blame us even if it is our fault.
• If we are a Web site and you use it, no matter what bad things happen, it is not our fault.
• If you contribute anything at all to a site or system, we own it.
• You will never sue us for anything, ever.

My advice is to have a 13-year-old do all the installations and make all the agreements. They cannot legally enter into these contracts. I wish someone would try that trick and litigate it.

John C. Dvorak in PC Magazine