Hi,
sorry for another high level design abstract concept idea thread :/ . The idea now is inspired on the new trend the Web is heading to (nicknamed Web 2.0). It is also based on another high level design abstract concept idea: Persistence (I also posted something about it a few threads below).
The link between these two, at first unrelated concepts, comes when you merge them, putting one (web2.0) on top of another (persistence). Since Web 2.0 is moving all user-apps into the global internet, what the OS does is take it further, having a database of user-apps on the net distributed between users (similiar to FreeNet functionality).
So to run code, first the OS checks to see if it is in it's massive local cache (aka. Hard Disk). If it's not, simply request it from another user that has it (probably in anonymous mode would be better, or perhaps in a darknet would be safer; but both may result in easier ways to do piracy...) and streams it (ie. downloads chunks of code for a Virtual Machine and runs it). (Keeping system services and tools globally online is possible but stupid, since it's highly unsafe). You could see this as persistence, P2P and web 2.0 merged.
Drawbacks are:
1) Speed: VM + internet = overhead. Can be fixed with a JIT compiler and (as stated above) by using the HD as a massive cache (dynamically resized to not use space reserved for personal and system data).
2) Security: Downloading everthing from the net is making the computer vulnerable. However with high privilege separation, rigid protection, whitelists (like using keys to download apps), higher abstraction (like not allowing direct access to the hard disk, all requests goes through the user first, or by another whitelist which only super-user can configure) and by giving higher trust level to darknets and known users/sites.
It's a very radical and risky idea, I know. However it just might be the (possibly far) future. Anyway, feel free to comment, criticise, flame, and give feedback. Thank you for reading,
JVFF
PS: Forgive bad english
OT: Before posting I saw Development forums had 666 posts... That's a scary coincidence
Edit: Spelling