I wonder what vision did Suhail pitch to PG to deserve high praise. Because this can't be it.
Although they did claim to keep your browsing data privet: https://www.mightyapp.com/security
Maybe four years ago it was seen as a strong counter to ad/tracker blocking. But now, with increased regulation and consumer resistance they couldn't make that play?
See: https://blog.mightyapp.com/mightys-secret-plan-to-invent-the...
In my opinion, this is the right goal, but I don't think this can be done by running existing apps in the cloud (and remoting their UI). Instead, I think we need a new cloud-native platform so that any app can be written as a cloud app. (Obligatory self-promotion: that's what we're trying to do with https://gridwhale.com)
just read your site, and I’m thinking of this as more like a super massive global mainframe?
The difference from existing thin-client models is that it's a single stack: When you write a program, you write the UI code as if on a local computer. E.g., you just call MessageBox("Hi, there") and the platform is responsible for remoting that as appropriate.
"A super massive global mainframe" is the correct analogy, but instead of a text-mode VT100 terminal, you get a full remote GUI (more like X Windows).
Thanks for the follow up.
IMO the core paradigm shift that needs to happen is for the software and infrastructure to become commoditized. The only way for cloud-everything to not be a nightmarish abuse of the end-users is for the mode of operation to change, from the current "data comes to the app", into "app comes to the data". That is, I believe the data, the application and the compute running it need to be independent to the extent possible.
In particular, the choice of an app and where it runs should be entirely up to user. The user should be able to easily switch from e.g. a cloud run by Amazon to e.g. a "cloud" run by their HOA in the basement of their block of flats. And then possibly switch to a cloud run by a company local to their city, or one of their employer, etc.
The primary point behind my view is to prevent application vendors from being able to take their users hostage by keeping users' data under lock on their own infrastructure, accessible only through their own software. The second point is to increase efficiency and boost local markets worldwide.
From what I've read, sounds like a thin client machine based on the web. Chromebooks but even thinner, relying on SSR. I think that's a plausible vision that could have driven the upfront costs of hardware down in return for a subscription.
Pithy vision - "a new type of web-centric computer"
Edit: I really liked following Mighty, and it's exactly the kind of speculative startup that you can respect and admire even when it doesn't work out. They didn't do anything wrong, they tried to make a useful valuable product but failed. A worthy endeavour.
just take the Sun marketing and sprinkle AAS.