Robert X. Cringely Weighs in on 2006

Simon80 writes "With the beginning of a new year coming another set of 15 predictions from Robert X. Cringely as to how the tech world will shape up in 2006, preceded by a review of how his 2005 predictions turned out. Most of this year's predictions cover well known tech companies, with a few that are about specific technologies like WiMax, media center PCs, and VOIP."

Comments

Can we get a Cringely Topic?

[Wyatt Earp]

So that we can ignore them?

I and others have railed on about how self promoting and wrong he is over and over and over, please Powers that Rule /. can we get a Cringely ignoring ability?

Re:Ah, the ABM treaty...

[Audacious]

Ok, I hate to say it, but I have six Macs and four IBM PCs. I used to try to get my Macs to run Windoze and Linux at the same time. Never could get it to do that and couldn't afford the really expensive Macs. WindowsXP does do this. Even with all of the other problems, handicaps, and whatnots that M$ puts into WindowsXP - the people at Cygwin have put together a great version of Linux for the average user to use. And if you work at it long enough and hard enough you can get Basilisk II up and running and then you can use pre-PowerPC software (which I just happen to have).

This has allowed me to have the best of all three worlds: Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Further, all three OSs can be up and running at the same time which, with today's computers, is a lot faster than the old Macs used to run and strangely enough - the Mac emulator doesn't crash. Well, that's not quite the way to say that. I mean that even though the emulated Mac crashes - it doesn't take the emulator with it. I've run a lot of emualtors and most of them actually crash when the emulated OS crashes, but the Basilisk emulator doesn't seem to do that. It just lets you reboot the system and continue on from there. Which is kind of weird and freaky to me since I'm thinking I should be pushing the reset button or something.

Anyway, since you bashed Windows (and who doesn't!) I thought I'd say that, at least for me, WindowsXP is not a bad thing. (Oh darn it! Now I've jinxed myself!)

BTW: My predicitions for 2006 are:

Intel buys TiVO to help jump start it's entry into that area and Intel hooks up with a small phone producing company to try to get its CPUS et al into proprietary phone systems. They want to have the first truly portable phone computer that will work more like a PDA than a phone. Unfortunately, it weighs twenty pounds and uses DRM software that makes it impossible to listen to your messages without first paying a fee for each and every message. This is not to mention the unfortunate side effect caused by the quantum engine which makes your ear appear in two places at once.

Nokia will make the announcement that they are expanding their phones to include the "Pay as you go" type of deal. They will allow the user to swipe their credit cards along a slot on the side of the phone, punch in how many minutes you want to buy, and begin talking - but only in Japanese.

The PS3 will be delayed by about a month due to a lack of certain parts but once production has really begun it will come packaged with instructions on how to install the version of Linux which was used to work on the machine. Unfortunately, Sony will try to block anyone from getting that version and the Open Source people will have to step in and sue Sony. People will tout "Sony and SCO, lamest companies that we know!" until Sony agrees it was a stupid idea in the first place and gives Linux away for free. Nevermind it was free and open source software to begin with, it's their Playstation and they will do whatever they want to with it.

(And for the joke impaired out there - those were jokes. :-) )