There will come a time when we will share each other’s microprocessor so that out PCs don’t sit idle. We will allow others to share our computing power, and they will allow us to share theirs, when we need extra processing capabilities. To listen to an excerpt from the radio broadcast, please click on the green play button below. To listen to an excerpt from the radio broadcast, click on the green arrow below.
I_The_challenges_of_open_standards_in_IT_Margaret_throsby.mp3
Here is a transcript of the audio file.
Jonar Nader: Each of us has a huge lot of power on our desks yet we ought to combine those and say why buy a $5000 computer in the future when I can buy something less and have the computing power somewhere else just like we have the electricity generator somewhere else or the gas generator…
Host: Is this going to happen?
Jonar Nader: Yes, in fact we see pockets of it in industry but it won’t happen until we have open systems and open standards.
Host: And what will that depend on?
Jonar Nader: Well, first, co operation. Often times the person who controls the industry does not believe in open systems. When you are the king pin of a particular architecture you are hardly going to let go and say alright then let’s become open.
Host: Who controls the industry now?
Jonar Nader: The players, one day they are up and the other day they are down. You have major players in software and you have major players in hardware, chip manufacturers, hard disk manufacturers, and cable manufacturers, satellite telecommunications.
Host: and they are all different.
Jonar Nader: Well take the issue with cable TV. Why did cable TV take such a long time? First there was the argument about should we use the fibre optics we have already invented? Should we use cable? Should we use microwave? Should we use satellites? Quite frankly some are better than others but in general terms let’s just get on with it and use any of them but no, there had to be years of debate. So, often, the person who controls is the person who has the most to lose, and who is currently on top. For example, if I invented a car than runs on water tomorrow, I bet you that the very next day I would be shot because there is a whole oil industry that says hey who is this guy from Sydney… So there are controls, and that is the environment that I was talking about before. But there is now an understanding and collaboration within industry that says yes it is about time we move to the network computing model but we will have to chop a few trees first to get there.
Host: It is an amazing area that you are in, and you say that you love technology and you love every aspect of it but you are obviously putting up flags saying we have to be cautious about the way we are going. I presume you think we’ve got control over our future? We can map it out rather than being carried along by some inexorable force.
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