In the last couple of years, I find myself returning time and again to discussions about cloud computing, what it means, where it's going, and what the implications are for both business and end users. Meanwhile, many of you reading this have happily upgraded your Ubuntu Linux systems to release 10.04 (aka the Lucid Lynx) complete with what some argue is the best Linux desktop ever. I tend to run Kubuntu which essentially means that I'm using the KDE desktop instead of GNOME (though I do use that as well). On Tuesday, KDE released and update to its 4.4 software compilation (4.4.4) and I happily updated my own system from the Kubuntu repositories. It's a beautiful thing and with each update (and that includes GNOME by the way), I grow more and more attached to my personal desktop environment. And yet, there are those who claim it's pretty much over for the desktop as we know it.

All this flows very nicely into the discussion you are about to watch.

At this year's COSSFEST in Calgary, I took part in a lively panel discussion titled "The Death of the Desktop", essentially a free-for-all discussion on whether 'the cloud' will kill off our beloved desktop. My fellow panelists included Aaron Seigo, Brad "Renderman" Haines, Adam McDaniel, and Craig McLean. The whole thing was taped and later edited (wonderfully, I might add) to create the video you see below. Given that this was the last panel of the two day event and that they gave us beer to drink during the discussion, I should probably offer up a little disclaimer before you proceed. If you are sensitive to such things, it's entirely likely that you'll hear the occasional 'bad word'. I'm just saying. You've been warned.

Enjoy the show!

 

 

So, what do you think? We've had our say; now it's your turn. Enter your comments below.

Until next time . . .