In that post I asked if the choice of a system-wide operating system is still important to information technology professionals. The recent talk in IT pro circles has been about the coming revolution of cloud computing and virtualization, so I wondered how long it would be before the operating system became an afterthought that did not factor into decision making anymore.
I was extrapolating on the idea that the personal computer would become an appliance. Just as we don’t worry about the operating system that controls our microwave ovens, we wouldn’t worry about the OS powering our computers. I think this day may come sooner than many believe.
However, according to the poll results, I am in the definite minority on this idea. Responders to our poll believe the operating system will continue to be important to IT pros for the foreseeable future, with many taking the point of view that the OS will always be important.
The results are very clear, but I would like to understand the “why” behind the results. Why is the operating system important and why will it always be important? Are there no future scenarios you can foresee where the OS will become insignificant to the IT decision maker?
[“source=techrepublic”]
