The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has predicted by the end of this century half of 6,000 plus languages spoken today will disappear, with other experts predicting the number to go as high as 90 percent.* This has led John McWhorter, a linguist with a PhD from Stanford University, to propose that having fewer languages could be better for humanity. If you translate his argument to the problems the different computer languages have caused, it makes perfect sense. Granted we are not computers, and losing those languages has cultural ramifications. At the same time, having a common language eliminates many of the complexities that exist today, both in the physical and digital world. So is it too farfetched to expect universal apps will be the future?
During the Windows 10 event last month, Microsoft showed the world how it wants its devices for the new OS to come together without any conflict, and it previewed how its universal app will work on PCs, tablets, and phones. It also demonstrated how the company’s different apps in Office will run across these devices automatically without having to type, swipe or click anything. In addition to these devices, Xbox One will also be part of the universal platform. Hence, if all goes according to plan, the Microsoft brand will give its users seamless interoperability no matter what platform they are using.
Apple has also adopted a similar universal solution with a different strategy by creating specialized software for iOS and OS X designed specifically for touch and mouse.
A Shift Toward Universal Ecosystems
With two of the largest companies in tech moving towards a universal ecosystem, it is only a matter of time before other organizations start seeing the benefits and begin adopting the same position. Giving developers a solution that allows them to build apps that can target different form factors without having to address each device or service with its own application is more efficient and cost effective across the board. App develops can also advantage of an HTML5 browser-based access solution, to easily web-enable / cloud-enable Windows applications.
Only time will tell how long it will take for everyone to jump aboard and start using a universal app that transcends organizations and devices. This eventuality will occur more as an evolutionary progress, born of the necessity to introduce new levels of efficiency in order to deal with the ever-growing diversity of computing devices and form factors making their way onto the user scene.
The need for efficiency will also seep into the realm of remote access solutions enabling access to applications, desktops and data from any device, anytime and anywhere without having to worry about compatibility, security and availability. Ericom AccessNow is one such product. Companies that are able to broker this access effectively without complexity will stand to benefit as consumers and organizations question the need for client based solutions stored on a device or on-premises.
Gurmeet
