http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3689881.ece
Jonathan Leake, Science Editor
THE Internet could soon be made obsolete. The scientists who pioneered it have now built a lightning-fast replacement capable of downloading entire feature films within seconds. At speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection, "the grid" will be able to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds
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Dominic J. Melfi is a retired Information Technology professional
This article is a summation of possible and probable results of high speed Internet up to 10,000 times faster than current connections. Most of these prognosis are self evident and not too hard to predict. The for runners are already creeping into the current Internet in broadband environments. This is meant to be a compilation of the resulting effect to our use of the IInternet.
Riding the Internet into the future
By
Dominic J. Melfi
The effect of an Internet that can download a movie in seconds has a tremendous impact on how computing will be accomplished in the future.
What it looks like in your home:
Your home configurations will include a high speed connection modem/router. Internally you will have a radio frequency network capable of handling multiple video/capable data streams. These will include duplex for two way connections.
General: A connection would consist of a remote and a monitor. This could be a phone, personal device, TV style monitor, large format projector, printer, scanner or any other type of device. The remote could be a keyboard, TV Remote, joystick, phone pad or any other input device.
Each connection set would have an internal IP address assigned, just as you have on a current broadband home network. All units would be wireless.
While this is similar to what we are doing now, the main difference is that all connections come from one provider, no longer do you have cable, phone, and Internet providers, software or storage at your home.
A nominal local storage device might be provided for buffering, either mass memory or disk. This memory would be transparent to user and not storage per se. This would exist only to facilitate the transmissions and buffering of data streams, each device might contribute memory for its own buffering. The information is already stored on Internet and can be fast forwarded, reversed and manipulated just as you do now.
Your Computer:
This would exist as an Ultra Thin client and only run a browser. The concept of operating system would fade. When you requested a program be run the provider would run it in a program session you requested, Windows, Unix, Apple OS etc. Essentially you are transmitted screens from the service provide, and the only activity on your computer is the browser client . The session is shared with the input device you select, keyboard, sketchpad, joystick. A good example from today is Microsoft Terminal Server™
Software:
All software would be provided by your service provider, no installations, upgrades or backups ever required. A flash upgrade to your browser would be all that was ever required.
Storage:
All disk storage would be at service provider, your files would be available anywhere in the world.
Backup:
This would be provided by service provider, obviously you need a well run installation on their end. An optional local backup could be configured that would update all changes to a local disk when data was SAVED.
Computing power:
The service provider would provide the computing power appropriate for the program you are running on their server.
Costs:
All charges would be based on usage, band with would be monitored, program usage would be either subscription or by usage. Content and software providers would be reimbursed by service provider.
Overall the cost to the software developers would be much lower due to cheaper distribution, correct and accredited installation and other expensive services. We would expect that the costs of these service providers would be less than the cost of a user keeping his software upgraded and in good working order. That is the latest versions would always be available and any conversions provided.
SECURITY:
Overall security should be magnitudes better when everything is controlled by a highly professional service provider. Trojans, viruses etc should be much better controlled. These providers would keep remote dual sites, no problem with the available speed of these networks.
Obviously your information will be subject to the providers expertise, these systems need to be endorsed by high level committees from IBM, Microsoft and other major players. Perhaps certain files can be optionally designated stored locally only, they would be uploaded, altered, stored locally and removed from server in a seamless operation.
COMMERCIAL USES
Game machines would cease to exist. We are led to believe no one makes money on the machines so costs would be reduced. You could own a copy on server or subscribe by usage, Test trials would be much easier.
DVD MOVIES would be rarer and only for collectors, and watching a new movie would be cheaper than mailing disk two ways. The quality of the movies could be higher.
A good book reader portable monitor could make books available for a few dollars when publisher saves cost of printing.
MOVIE FILM the expensive process of producing and distribution to movie theatres would be eliminated. Texas Instruments already has digital projectors installed in some theatres.
I would estimate overall technology costs to a user could be cut in half.
Today's Costs
.............................................Month Annual
Cable Internet.......................$50 US ........600
Cable Entertainment ............$75 US ........900
Virus scanners etc ................ $ 3 ...............36
Software upgrades ....................................150
Phone .................................. $50 .............600
Computer..................................................250 average per year
Annual current for agressive user...........$2536
