See also: Visions | Computers | Internet
Technology requiring transparent connections, pervasive but invisible network, virtually unlimited quantities of files and processing power freely available from anywhere in the world at any time. Telephones users number in the billioins and are everywhere, all around the planet, unlike computers. The accomplisment of this vision would see more processors of different types in more places with a vastly greater number of users.
Mark Weiser (1952-1999) is credited with inventing the concept of Ubiquitous Computing, suggesting that technology should recede into the background of our lives rather than dominate it. Ubiquitous Computing is also known as pervasive computing or calm technology and is foreseen as information technology‘s next wave after the mainframe and PC. This vision is likely to develop as devices with embedded programming becomes a common part of our environment.
This concept is problematic due to large privacy concerns regarding information sharing on a platform described as anywhere, everywhere computing. One other concern is the flood of information which would overwhelm users and hinder censorship
Related Links
- Designing Calm Technology – Paper by Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown
Related topics
- Holy Grail
- Pseudonym
- Public sphere
- Decentralization
- Trust
- Data haven
- Utopia
- Portable Information Devices
- Wireless
- Distributed computing
TakeDown.NET -> “Ubiquitous-computing”