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| Software's Importance Will Wane In Future Computing Devices |
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posted by Editor on Monday June 23, @03:14PM
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This editorial on Tech Central Station by Arnold Kling argues that future computing innovation will be based on pulling apart PC components and re-assembling them in different ways. In the past, the PC industry was based on integrating many hardware components into a single machine, which introduced the need for software to assemble these parts into a functional whole. Now, wireless networking can be used to connect hardware, so that individual devices can be relatively agnostic about what other types of devices they might encounter. As hardware components become separated, the software can be simpler, because the devices are more specialized, with much of the user interface embedded in the hardware.
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I don't see software slipping as this author described. A prevalence of small specialized devices in the long run will probably require as much, if not more, than the current prevalence of generalized machines. On top of that is the idea that protocols and internetworking are themselves forms of software. One of the ideas I've been playing with is the idea of a "higher level" programming language that allows you to write with/for multiple devices in a single script just as we do for multiple components now.
Basically, it is in my opinion that software will continue to evolve just as rapidly. I also don't see generalized PCs going by the wayside any time soon either.
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Yes, this seems to be a fundamental problem with how the non-technical (Kling is an economist) perceive electronics. All of the devices in his missive are in-fact software heavy/driven.
Aside from that (it taking software to make the hardware "go"), there are also the heavy networking issues generated by numerous invisibly linked hardware devices. And THEN there are the applications that take advantage of/drive/are driven by the "disconnected" (taken apart) devices. All of the messages flying about the wireless net are going to need to be munched on by something to make them useful.
Yep, software is "definitely" on the wane :-)
--Mike
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