Towards Ubiquitous Computing

Mauricio Leal posted these days:

"One day, they (consumers) will wake up and realize that they won’t need computers like today. Instead of sitting down in a chair and reaching the information, the information will be wide available in your pocket, wherever you go."

I agree with him and I'd say more. In my point of view, the information will be wide available not only in your pocket, but wherever you want, like clothes, walls, tables or even in the water.

Computer Specialization

I believe that, in the future, specialized devices will take over generic computers.

For instance, let's think about engines. Generic purpose engines don't exist anymore. My grandparents used to use a unique generic engine to get water from a watering hole and to triturate corn to feed little chickens. Now, engines come to the market as water pumps and mixers. That big device used for everything in the everyday life is now dead. When asked about that universal engine, my grandfather said it's gone, and he didn't need engines anymore. For him, engines is now used only in cars. For me, engines went invisible. In fact, engines became ubiquitous.

Some years ago, I used to listen to MP3 files in a 486 DX2 PC powered by Winamp. It was a very big and dirty white box. Today, all what I need to play MP3 files fits in my pocket is can be called as iPod. That means, again, generic engines (PC) was replaced by specialized ones (iPod) and, probably, not all of those iPod owners know that they have a complete computer inside their pocket. Maybe, they don't even like computers! For them, they don't need computers anymore to listen to MP3s. For me, now they need computers more than ever. IMO, computers started to become invisible and ubiquitous.

So, I believe the way we use computers (as users, not developers) today will no longer exists in the future. I think, in the future, we will have a computer for browsing, a computer for office stuff, a computer for playing, a computer for home controll and so on, and all of them will be cheaper, smaller and easier to use than today.

But, what about Java? That's a good question, and I'll talk about it later.

see'ya

Alê!