With Windows currently being the main player while also pushing Azure, and Google trying to push their own new ChromeOS on Chrome Books to business and student users for a monthly rate, where do you think the future of business networks is headed?

Also, what in your opinion should programmers learn or not waste their time with?

For the business desktop, Windows is king and will be for a very long time.

If you want to work in a Windows shop then C# is the thing to learn.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2008 BI / MWSS 3.0: Configuration / MOSS 2007: Configuration)
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No matter what platform you plan on working on learn databases, as that's where everything is stored.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2008 BI / MWSS 3.0: Configuration / MOSS 2007: Configuration)
MCITP (SQL 2005 DBA / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2005 DBD / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 BI)
MCM (SQL 2008)
MVP

My Blog

I think business networks or at least business networking is going to migrate to Google+ eventually. Google will be able to integrate networking into Chrome and provide features that Facebook won't be able to match.

SprayFoamDirect http://www.sprayfoamdirect.com/
http://twitter.com/SprayFoamDirect

G+ is just a fad.  So far it offers nothing that the other platforms don't already offer.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2008 BI / MWSS 3.0: Configuration / MOSS 2007: Configuration)
MCITP (SQL 2005 DBA / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2005 DBD / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 BI)
MCM (SQL 2008)
MVP

My Blog

Google+
Trust your data to a social network run by an advertising agency at your own (stupid) peril.

So where are your backups? Some idiot makes a change to a critical file, not noticed for 3 months, how do you retrive?
What happens when they update the platform and you find it isn't compatible with what you use, try using XP & ie with Apples iCloud for example.

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

http://alvechurchlounge.org.uk

The main questions I see with cloud computing is who owens the data? Is your data cared for, backed uped, and secure. The value is not in the hardware pieces and parts, but in the electronic information. What happens if joe cloud, looses your A/R. You can sue him, and get damages, but the impact on the business is unthinkable. Mobil computing in the form of tables, and smart phones, are a challenge that each business must determine the correct way to intergrate into their business model. Social networking has a value. But give the "web", six months, and there will be another hot got to have it, "thang". And in the real world in the financial debits and credits, where the profit is made.. Things don't change that quickly. I agree windows is still king, but be prepared for the tables and pads, and Apple itself..  

Another cloud concern is data theft. Can you really trust the cloud provider that they can't and won't be hacked?  

I've got a blog post about this that'll be coming out on the 4th.  I'll reserve my comments until then.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2008 BI / MWSS 3.0: Configuration / MOSS 2007: Configuration)
MCITP (SQL 2005 DBA / SQL 2008 DBA / SQL 2005 DBD / SQL 2008 DBD / SQL 2005 BI / SQL 2008 BI)
MCM (SQL 2008)
MVP

My Blog