I’ll chip in my 2 cents and throw another view into the mix. As a user interface and visual designer, I like to think not only of the future of the web in terms of the backend technology behind everything, but also the frontend UI that people will use to interact with the backend. At the moment, I personally feel like the “Internet” is a very static place that often lacks life and vibrance – it’s an environment that most usually doesn’t give users an organic feel. It’s just data data data like you said, all crammed down people’s throats in the form of text, images, and links to more text, links, and images. I think (or at least would like to think) that we’re going to start seeing all kinds of great frontend stuff from developers, especially with Flex’s rise to popularity and better Flash technologies on the horizon…we could start seeing new 3D applications (the weather globe for the Wii Weather Channel comes to mind), better and more simple visualizations of data, and incredibly intuitive interaction models. Also, I believe that the standard input for computers is eventually going to change as well. The day that every computer has a touch screen is the day that my interface design dreams for the Internet die and go to heaven.

Anyways, all that to say that I certainly hope that the way people interact with Web 3.0 is a step up from a lot of the static content we have now. =p

Very good points. The problem on the horizon is “Information Overload”. The trouble with Web 2.0 technologies is that they remain unaware of this problem.

We don’t need prettier pages, or slicker widgets. We just need to be able to get at the “Raw Data” behind the pretty pages and widgets.

The ability to view data in a myriad of purpose specific contexts is the big issue, as you’ve allueded to in this very insightful post.

Related:

1. My Linked Data Planet Keynote
2. Data Portability & Linked Data Spaces Presentation

comment: anyone who hasn’t driven over 100 mph is not worthy of presidential consideration.

errata: it’s Photoshop not PhotoShop (no inner cap)

On a side note Paul; I gave you props when I signed up for hosting at Media Temple. Hopefully you got a kick back. I’m using Skribit too. Love the posts, keep it up.

“‘Paris’ (Hilton or country).” Paris is a city. in France. (The country.)

:) (apologies if the commenter was being clever and funny)

And I agree with Alan- privacy is important. However, privacy, at the end of the line, is up to you- in the most extreme case, you can choose to stay off the net, or use a pseudonym and reveal as many details as you choose to.

Perhaps the most important industry in Web’s future will be individual online image consultants.

Maybe in the future a user will log on to the internet and think, “Which of my personalities will I be today? Fafhrd, the lawful good, or Gray Mouser, the chaotic neutral.”

Maybe we need an algorithm to make the web forget.

Scenario:
“So, Mr. Stamatiou, you want to run for President? Is it true that 25 years ago you posted a photo that indicated that you were driving 114 mph in a 65 mph zone? Is this the kind of reckless leadership that this country is looking for?”

Ok, ok. I’m having a little fun. My point is there are serious hurdles that must be solved (and should be solved) before user data is totally open. Will a technology based upon this openness be successful outside of the tech-savvy early adopters prior to solving the privacy issue?

Most forms of software will in essence just be a web browser and instead of going to BestBuy to get the latest PhotoShop 20, you’ll just hit an upgrade button on your current PhotoShop 19 and they’ll give you access to it (nothing to install, it’s just there). You’ll either keep most of your files on a hosted file server (accessible from your phone, car, buddy’s house, work, etc) or you’ll have your own data server at home that does the same thing.

You’ll be able to sit down at your computer or pick up your phone in the morning and start your car, turn on the shower, start the coffee and toast, and see how much milk is left in the fridge all from your desk. You wont have to though, since everything will remember your routine and just do what it’s supposed to on its own.

You see, the problem (and wonder) of information overload is we are getting used to it. It is making us lazy (and OCD at the same time) and everyone that used to be called geek is just a normal guy/gal. The future of the Internet? Look around you, that’s where it will be…

People aren’t perfect either, so the good ole days will be when you didn’t have to get an email from your fridge every hour telling you the milk carton is almost empty. Your car was a place where you could turn off the cell phone and just cruise in peace. You didn’t always know exactly where your kids were and how much trouble they’d be in until that moment arrived. We’re making a better world, or so we say :P

~Adam

I am starting to wonder if the next phase of computers will see the general public “downgrade” to basically internet terminals. Like the Asus eee and the Macbook Air, perhaps we could see slimmed down laptops with smaller hard drives and specs that essentially allow access to the cloud.

I think this could change both the web and a lot of computing hardware (though professionals would still need power machines for video editing, etc.).