That's why scripting and the Internet are synonymous. The client machines run at hundreds of megahertz now. RISC is commonplace. Customization is needed everywhere. The development environment of the net isn't in compiled languages, it's in dynamic interpreted languages with persistent storage systems and bottlenecks that allow for customization and security.
File systems are the past.
Right now HTML text flows around the net. The next step is bits of code and information that assemble themselves on the client machine and use the rendering and UI engines, installed on the client, according to the preferences of the user, and subject to easy customization by the user. Go for the latter. It's where the power really is, as opposed to where it appears to be. No one understands the Internet I may sound like I think I understand the net, but I don't.