This is also a sign that the computer industry, at least as we know it today, has failed its users.
I expect to see signs like this for mechanical devices that suffer wear, such as our cars. But computers are fully automated, programmable, mostly solid state, and should be capable of maintaining themselves. Of course, I don't mean the computer hardware won't eventually have problems, but the OS should at least be robust enough that it doesn't get so sick it needs to be taken in for an inspection.
Unfortunately, calling for help from your computer geek brother-in-law, or nephew, or paying a computer vendor to fix a sick PC is something most non-technical computer users have become accustomed to. That, and knowing that after you bring that shiny, new computer home, that if you want to keep it shiny and new, you need to install a third-party firewall, anti-virus program, anti-phishing filter, pop-up ad blocker, and spyware blocker before venturing out into the dangerous internets. Without the protection offered by these programs, most users know, their computer will begin to exhibit the erratic and slowing down signs of sickness in no time.
It doesn't have to be that way! In fact, with all of the third-party tools, utilities, and plug-ins like Adobe Reader, Flash, Silverlight, browser toolbars, etc. installed, users not only make their computers slower, but they also make themselves more vulnerable to problems. How? Each additional program or utility takes processor cycles for itself, slowing the rest of the system down, and each program increases the attack surface area by exposing itself to the internet. Each utility may have its own flaws or vulnerabilities as well, and may provide another means by which to crash the system, steal data, or exploit the OS.
How appropriate then, that Google unveiled its Chrome OS this week. Chrome OS is of course Google's Chrome browser, running in a minimal Linux OS. Unlike Windows, OS X, and even Linux, the Chrome OS won't need to be exposed to the user, just the browser. Many people writing about Chrome OS saw it as an interesting idea, but dismissed it fairly quickly because it's obviously not comparable to a traditional OS. But, I challenge you to take a moment and think about the possibilities for Chrome.
First, Linux has shown itself to be fairly robust, especially in comparison with Windows. Linux, like the other Unix's, makes it more challenging for malicious software to elevate privilege, has fewer avenues for 'drive-by' attacks (such as Active-X), and being open source, often has rapidly fixed vulnerabilities (a few days vs. the 2nd Tuesday of the month). A simple, secure Linux OS is a great choice for Chrome OS, or any OS. It will boot fast, and have enough in-built security not to need third-party security software, allowing it to maintain high performance even on minimal systems. Couple this with a forced, remote-update system such as the one Google's Android OS has, and you've got a great OS foundation to build on.
Next, from a security standpoint, Chrome is likely the most well-engineered browser today. Individual tabbed pages, plug-ins, and scripts are sand-boxed from one another, meaning that malicious web code that tries to crash or inject code into the browser will only crash its instance, leaving the rest of the browser threads untouched. Chrome is based on Webkit, one of the fastest, and most rapidly developing and updated browser engines. Now add native PDF viewing a-la OS X, and ignore Flash plug-ins by relying on standards-based HTML 5 features instead, and you've got a winning browser with minimal potential problems.
Third, throw in cloud computing and storage. Do you really need to worry about installing and updating software, with its potential vulnerabilities (as I write this there is an actively-exploitable, un-patched Excel flaw) and backing up all of your data? My email is web-based, my social networks are web-based, I can put my photos on Flickr, my videos on YouTube, my documents into web alternatives, and then access my data from anywhere in the world on any computer and even my smartphone. I don't need to have a high-powered computer (even a netbook will do!), I don't need to buy a back-up hard disk to keep my photos safe, and more importantly, I don't even have to remember to back up my data religiously. The web services I use will take care of all of that for me.
Put it all together, and you're seeing the future of computing - simple, robust and managed software running on a variety of devices, all accessing data stored in the network. Few active programs means fewer flaws, automatic updates resolve problems, and little local data doesn't need a lot of management, leading to computing devices that, finally, won't slowly wear down and get 'sick'. 30+ years after the computer revolution started, it's about time!
Endnote
Think of this computing progression as comparable with that of other new, advanced technologies that have, over time, integrated themselves into our lives. In the early days of the automobile for example, there were no paved roads, cars were expensive, finicky, and you had to know how to do your own maintenance. Now, of course, we have reliable cars, gas stations that aren't service centres, and cars that tell the trained technicians what's wrong with them. We've traded the ability to be the one with all of the knowledge, and full control over our car, its performance, and its parts, for the security and convenience of guaranteed reliability. It's bound to happen to computers, too.
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