Day one computers shift data. Flat files VSAM Hashed tables. The OS and network is just an entry to the data. Relational came a long with the OS and network using client server to connect keyboard to database. I see in 7 years instead of relational/object databases, distributed databases. Imagine an LDAP like object that from login to logout is inside a table. Applications are subtables. Data resides wherever the resources are allocated and the master table tracks links. OS consists of a mini kernel that talks and listens ip and does IO.
thanx,
bill