Distributions are so focused on the “desktop” user, whatever that means because is such a big thing, that in the end they’re just a bunch of software put together without any clear direction. What drives desktop Linux? Nothing! Do you know what drives the Mac? If you watch this old Steve Job’s video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9dmcRbuTMY) about the NeXT Computer Business you will find that it hasn’t changed a bit. They’re still a Worsktation company, and what drives them is pulling out power in professional applications and developers. For example, they have the best audio core because they want to put the best audio apps, they’re investing in the LLVM Compiler, OpenCL, Grand Central because they want to make the best future multicore & GPU computing possible. Do you think they want this for desktop computing? No! What pushes them to improve are the pro applications this things could have. If you stop a little bit and think about the Linux Server, that focus was also what made improve this much.

You have desktop Linux on the other side. They’re just a bunch of software put out together and driven by nothing. They don’t care changing OSS for Alsa for PulseAudio for whatever… as long as it still plays music. As Perry Lorier pointed out, the X Server is loosing it’s meaning, because all the important features that made it different are getting no use on this desktop meaningless focus.

And what should a developer choose as a platform? If distributions don’t care about changing 1 for 2, what should we do? Package Managers can be seen as a solution, or as noted here maybe they’re more part of the problem. KDE 4 libraries have a separated layer (like a façade) to abstract developers from the underlying implementation that it’s a good start also. I still haven’t seen an easy way to produce my code and after that, just pack my software so a PM can use it. The problem with libraries and Major / Minor versions didn’t exist before PM became too sophisticated.

You know, Linux is such a powerful platform for trying new things. Linux should be the top of Lance of OS. But all improvements will get hidden because probably their application on the desktop is not obvious at first sight. There’s incredible great professional OSS, like Osirix for medical 3D imaging (built for the Mac), clustering with Beowulf (can you imagine what would become if we made this thing a lot easier to use?), X Server (interacting with applications which are run from different computers), dbus…

I really think a change of perspective can work for Linux. Instead of focusing on Personal Computing (desktop), focus on Professional, and the other will come. I’m already working on it, so if someone has any suggestion or likes the idea, maybe we can work out something.

But where do you get those books and movies? From some type of service (might be p2p). If the netbook maker could make that seamless, it is going to win out in the market place plus generate revenue for the netbook vendor. Now someone may use a p2p service and you may think it is (little f) free but it costs in time and effort to find what you want at the quality you want. Why do you think iTunes makes money when you can get mp3’s for free?

As far as RFID’s are concerned, they are scary but you can’t let that stop innovation. The Internet has a lot of scary uses too. Personally if I want people to know who I am I want to be able to do it as easily as possible with enough safe gaurds in place so that when I don’t want someone getting my info they can’t. For example, I have a frquent flier card. I love it when they say, “Hello, Mr. Palmieri, welcome back”. Now if I didn’t have any relationship with them that would be scary. While the information stored in that card can be abused it is equally a tool for my convenience. RFID’s make it easier to abuse but it is hard to just dismiss it out of hand when that would mean I would have to do the same for any technology that could be used for evil purposes (and that is all technology). Use in a national ID card though is something I would be against.

As for barcode reading, I fear the biometric ID cards with RFIDs will be rollev over in EU quite soon (AFAIK, really soon in my country) and at the airport terminal I will only have to hear “Hello Mr. Yukkamoto and welcome back! “

How about a netbook/phone combo where the phone is the processor but you have a dock with a bigger screen. That is really rethinking the form factor.

And I might decide to do it all on my phone because I don’t want to carry anything else and my SO might bring along a netbook or a tablet because he wants a bigger screen to watch his movies on. And we could both do all the things you described on very different devices.