Microsoft Windows Desktop and Mobile
Computing Device Platforms

Emerging Technologies - Strategies and Decisions

The common foundation driving the evaluation and selection of the next generation of computer applications will be: 1- Technological advancements - semiconductor, storage, and transmission line speed - G5. 2- The improvement in employee productivity or reduction in software licensing cost. 3- Effective management of the implementation and realizing a return on investment.

Organizational enterprise is facing a new set of assumptions regarding how to manage, upgrade, and migrate their existing computer applications infrastructure. There is a business case to utilize and integrate the free and low cost open source operating systems and applications with Microsoft software. Software as a service and web apps which run on web browsers and platforms other than the Microsoft Windows operating system family and MS Edge web browser will need to be accommodated.

SaaS: Software as a Service provides network-based access to commercially available software: Microsoft 365, Google Docs, Photoshop.com, and Acrobat.com. It also presents new opportunities for software vendors: 1- Ease and efficiency of deployment. 2- Increased user adoption. 3- Reduced support requirements. 4- Lowered cost of implementation and upgrades. According to Gartner research, more than 76% of American corporations use at least one SaaS applicaiton. Some 45% of companies spend 25% or more of their IT application budget on SaaS. As HTML5 becomes broadly supported in web browsers, SaaS applications will have a more interactive user experience.

The MS Windows operating system is being upgraded and positioned to be the device that bridges Google Android and Apple ecosystems. The Windows platform provides the opportunity to differentiate and capability to connect a smartphone or other PCs. Microsoft 10 already had the capability to run multiple third party web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Opera. TPM: Trusted Platform Module is used by the Windows operating system to apply hadware-based security, access control, and authentication. A TPM chip is a secure crypto-processor designed to carry out cryptographic operations. There are multiple physical security mechanisms to make it tamper resistant. Malicious software is unable to tamper with the security functions of the TPM.

MS Windows 11 has been designed to work better with Android phones; however Microsoft executives would like it to integrate with Apple iPhones and bring iMessage or other services to Windows. That decision will largely be left up to Apple. Microsoft’s stated intention is to bring all of the apps over to Windows. TikTok, Kindle, and Uber are some of the big names. Amazon is bringing its Android app store to the new Microsoft Store. Regardless as to the CPU chip, Windows 11 computing devices will be able to run the software.  Previously, the Microsoft Store was restricted to certain types of Windows apps. Now any Windows app is welcome.

Mobile Computing and Web Apps

Mobile devices and web apps present new capabilities through web browsers, mobile operating systems, and OSS: Open Source Software. The leading smartphone platform in terms of global units sold is the Google Android OHA: Open Handset Alliance platform; Samsung, HTC, Google/Motorola, and Sony Ericsson. In the aggregate this translates into market leadership. The Apple iPhone is the single most popular smartphone. The MS Windows Phone is no longer available and had negligible market share in the United States. In 2013, Microsoft acquired the handset and services business of Nokia in an effort to position Microsoft as a more prominent player in mobile computing devices. Microsoft has been playing catch up in 1- hardware with multicore processors, 2- operating system platform and interface, and 3- web app ecosystem.

In tablet media, the Apple iPad is the leader; the Apple iOS operating system platform is highly respected in terms of quality and developer support. Google acquired patents with its purchase of Motorola Mobility which allowed for significant improvements in the integration and performance of its Google Android and Chrome operating systems with third party manufacturing of phones, tablet computers, and consumer devices. Samsung is the market leader in units sold of Android smartphone and tablet computing devices.

PC Desktop Operating Systems and Web Browsers

Microsoft Windows XP and Vista utilization has declined to a neglible share of the market. Microsoft 10 will be the standard used to servicize virtualized desktop and mobile device operating system platforms. There have been challenges in supporting the Windows 7 - 10 desktop operating systems in conjunction with device and operating system diversity: smartphones, tablets, and BYOD devices. Web browsers increasingly are being used to execute applications and manage data. Microsoft has transitioned a replacement of its Internet Explorer web browser to Edge. Both the Google Chrome and Mozilla FireFox open source web browsers are being installed and used on Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems. The Google Chrome and Mozilla FireFox open source web browsers provide reliable value which enhances and automates quality software. Google Corporation has been expending considerable resources to develop and distribute a service web apps ecosystem to serve as an alternative to Microsoft software. Google web applications can be accessed from a web browser. From the framework of an aggregate market definition - Microsoft Windows desktop, Linux-variants, and mobile devices, Google Chrome is the most widely installed global web browser. In 2018, a version of the Microsoft Edge web browser became available to be installed on Android and Apple operating system devices.

Google Operating Systems:
Workspace and Web App Ecosystem

Mobile Apps and Systems of Engagement

Mobile devices and web apps draw upon an information technology infrastructure with immense data and information for empowering employees and engaging customers. A mobile app is a de facto website.  A well structured mobile app will: 1- Project business value with provisioning and support tools. 2- Accelerate efficient decision making with data dashboards. 3- Control and extend the value of smart products and services.

To meet these requirements, it will be important to have the governance and coding of the application software accurately aligned with the business model. The software architecture and presentation interface of the mobile app needs to provide an engaging user experience and be consistent with the database schema foundation. A common cause of problems with a mobile strategy occurs when the design architecture does not explicitly align with the engagement software, application management, and back-end systems of record. In many situations, it will be necessary to rework SOA: service oriented architecture to reduce message traffic and overhead for services originally designed for PCs on high speed networks or reface and re-architect middleware APIs to deliver task-oriented real-time response.  For large organizations, the complexity associated with developing and supporting multiple mobile platforms is accelerating a migration to cloud computing and adoption of software as a service.

Computer Applications Training by SYS-ED

SYS-ED is a leader in evaluating software and incorporating open source software into its MS courses and training programs. The subject matter, examples, sample programs, exercises, and validation assessment have been organized to provide guidance in hybrid software environments.

Substantial investments have been made in both hardware and software infrastructure for running computer applications software. Computer applications software and more specifically the Microsoft Windows suite of integrated software and applications - Edge, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Expression, PowerShell, and Project - have become the administrative foundation for the majority of organizational enterprise. The programmatic implementation of office and network administration tasks primarily has been with Microsoft languages and tools: batch file programming, WordBasic, Access Basic, VBA, WSH, and PowerShell.

Our system consultant instructors are experts in designing and programmatically automating MS SharePoint with Excel, Access, and PowerPoint data presentation formats: HTML5 with XML and JSON. We provide specialized training services on hybrid combinations of commercial and open source web apps and mobile device operating systems.

Courseware is an important component of the SYS-ED training service. Textbooks are augmented with presentation slides and training aids. Subject matter and best practices from the CETi knowledge base are added selectively to courseware. Given the intermixing and hybrid implementation of commercial and open source software, reference material is fundamental to an effective training outcome.

SYS-ED desktop and mobile applications courses have been developed to meet the New York State Department of Education - Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision standards. Both distance-learning and classroom instruction have a common lesson plan: lecture, pre and post course assessment, prototype demonstrations, examples, and workshops. Our instructors teach the collaborative work environment capabilities of the desktop, web apps, MS SharePoint, and alternative web server platforms.

XML: Extensible Markup Language has been developed to address electronic publishing problems. It defines rules to encode documents that are both human- and machine-readable. Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations are stored in OOXML: Open Office XML. XML can work with jspm, linked data, documents, large databases, and the IoT: Internet of Things.

Mobile Device Platforms - Business Models in Transition

For the most part, smartphone and tablet computing will no longer be about device innovation; the driving impetus will be the web app ecosystem and service for gathering, analyzing, generating, and managing content. Consumer demand will determine the mobile market for devices, access, and apps. Wireless access and mobile computing have continued to grow and the next advancement is 5G. The advantage of 5G is its significantly faster speed and increased bandwidth than the 4G LTE paving the path for a fully connected world. Productivity and efficiency will be increased, with a theoretical download speed of 10,000 Mbps. Both private Wi-Fi hotspots and public Wi-Fi will continue increasing. Apple, Google, and Microsoft have emerged as the leading operating system and web app platforms for mobile devices. Each applies a unique business model with respect to the integration of hardware and software and incentivzation for the web app development process. The resources and strategies by these companies reflect multiple target markets and businesses: selling devices and software to user populations, distribution of ancillary services, integration with information technology infrastructure, software as a service, and cloud computing. Each has invested heavily in data centers and has its own cloud platform: Apple iCloud, GCP: Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure.

The Google open source software model has led to specialized adoption of the Android operating system by Amazon in its Kindle and Fire e-readers and tablets and Barnes and Noble bookstore chain in its Nook e-reader series. There will be tradeoffs in costs, support and performance associated with native apps versus open web-based apps. Native apps provide a targeted context specific experience and currently predominate. HTML5 provides cross platform extensibility to a larger market. There also are hybrid software technologies such as jQuery Mobile and PhoneGap. Over the long run the open web will become increasingly important.

FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok are leading social engagement platforms that function through the web browsers of these ecosystems and also provide API programmatic extensions.

Native and Open Web Apps

Mobile websites and mobile browser apps both utilize HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. However, there are significant differences in application development. 

Mobile websites are adapted presentations of web content optimized for smartphone and tablet screens. Websites use responsive design to dynamically adjust the layout and styling of content for viewing and consumption/interaction on any form factor. Mobile websites do not provide an app navigation experience; standard browser url, back button, and link navigation is used and depend on an active internet connection to work. Content which normally is presented on a website is presented to a mobile user audience. A mobile website is an internet connected server-side mobile app; a mobile website provides informational, read-only experiences.

Mobile web browser apps are designed to provide a native app experience. They use the same underlying technologies and delivery vehicle as mobile websites, but the user experience is different. Browser apps provide separate in-app navigation and are capable of working without an active internet connection by using application caching techniques. Apps provide a task-based capability and apply the facilities of the mobile device.

Movement of user data between services can be complicated; commercial services are built differently and use different types of data that may require unique privacy controls. There now is a requirement to move among different kinds of services with the expectation that the companies also will protect their data. In 2018, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter launched the Data Transfer Project open-source initiative to enhance the data portability ecosystem. As part of the project, member organizations will utilize open source code to provide a common framework that enables portability and interoperability.

Microsoft Windows Desktop and Mobile Operating Systems

Unlike prior capital expenditures in information technology infrastructure, there will be significantly more complexity. Improvements in the availability, transmission speed, bandwidth, and reliability of data, in conjunction with enhancements to computer hardware - storage, CPU, internal bus transfer speeds, and USB: Universal Serial Bus, have resulted in the development of software which competes with Microsoft's Windows desktop applications. Distribution will be in the form of software as a service through the internet and cloud computing.

PC and Web Applications Training

Courseware
SYS-ED's computer application courseware draws upon a library of walkthroughs, examples, training aids, and case studies for demonstrating and using desktop and mobile apps: word processing, spreadsheets, presentation graphics, document management, and databases.

Teaching is Our Only Business
Most computer training companies are divisions of large software companies or consulting companies. Not SYS-ED. Our only goal is to provide quality computer training for motivated professionals. This independence allows us to concentrate on teaching.

Our Teachers Know How to Teach
SYS-ED instructors combine teaching skills with experience on Wintel desktop and web applications and open source Linux and commercial UNIX operating systems. After a course, they are available to answer questions.

PC and Web Applications Training - Distance-learning or at Your Office
SYS-ED PC and web application courses are provided over the internet through a distance-learning delivery medium or classroom instruction. Client location courses can include the same examples, walkthroughs, and exercises as the SYS-ED schedule.

Footnote 1:
Multiple white papers and articles from Forrester Research Inc. on corporate desktop operating system and web browser trends.

Footnote 2:
SYS-ED’s core computer applications curriculum has been submitted to New York State Department of Education for review and licensure.

Research
SYS-ED’s continues to research scripting and programming tools available in the public domain: Google Android AppInventor.

Intellectual Property
CETi board of directors and corporate counsel are reviewing the machine-learning framework for the copyright, trademark, and patent filings.