Everything is possible. It's just a matter of redesigning the concept. The major difference between the PC and the hardware device like synths, keyboard arranger, etc. is the boot process. Synth OS is stored in ROM/NVRAM and you know that PC is using HDD. No matter what OS we use as long as we keep using hard drive to boot the system we cannot get away from, crashes, bugs, viruses and many other catastropic events in our system. The PC industry is still giving us this old technology. They keep making bigger and bigger HDD which is good for storage. But if we keep using it to boot our systems and place all system files together with all programs and application, the system's tendency is to slow down the process.

If synth industry will produce this so called open architecture PC style keyboard arranger, they have to put the OS in the ROM which is possible because it's not as big as PC OS like Windows. Synths OS only detect probably just 1 or 2 devices which is the sound chip and controller. Unlike PC there's so many device drivers to be recognized to complete the boot process. Notice that if you boot your PC in safe mode it's faster than normal mode because it bypass many of the devices.

So making this type of arranger, or synth is not impossible. The pieces of technology is just scattered around. Somebody who has more time in his hand should start to put those pieces together and make us all happy. Have you guys check out or heard about LINDOWS? Another OS alternative which is produced by the man who love music, the MP3.COM founder Michael Robertson. Maybe we can ask him to think about this arranger synth open-system concept.

Dan