I was going to mention X11/X Windows, but I didn't want to stir up shit with that because it isn't fully what we would need now. We need a hybrid of X11 that can utilize both client and server power so that we can delegate the work to whichever end is best for the task. I don't want to take a step back to the concept of dumb terminals, X or otherwise, and thin clients are not the answer either. We need something new that is based on similar concepts but takes full advantage of the computing power we have today. We also need it to be something that doesn't enable further snooping, spying and data collection but still gives us options on where the code runs. Fuck the cloud and fuck the idea that we rent/subscribe to everything, which thin clients will lead to. I want something better and more privacy/security minded.
One guy already built all of that here: https://arcan-fe.com/
//EDIT: That takes care of the networked render engine part. The rest of the stack is the language + toolkit + application that supports Arcan as a back end. Arcan kinda makes your brain melt a bit when you think about the possibilities.
It needs to be polished and accessible to the masses. Just like GNU Linux on the desktop, Arcan will go nowhere because it is too obscure and technical for content creators to adopt. If Arcan could be made accessible to people with less tech skills and more creative and/or other professional skills then it could take off. But as it stands now, Arcan is just too "CLI" for it to break out. It will languish in the shadows and won't drive us forward in any way for replacing the browser. It would be better off being renamed "Arcane" instead because that is what it is.
Ah yes. The famous Q style "everything sucks because because x y z" ... "here is x y z someone already built it" ... "Oh that sucks too" fliparoo.
Hows that working out for you?
(post is archived)