The Future of Computing
April 18 2008 / by juldrich / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Business & Work Year: 2020 Rating: 5 Hot
By Jack Uldrich
Cross-posted from www.jumpthecurve.net
The future of computing has many different aspects and it is not
my intention with this post to provide a detailed explanation of
each. Rather, I merely want to share with readers who are
interested in the future of computing some interesting and
provocative resources. 
For those looking for a broad-based overview of how computers will change our lives, I highly recommend this detailed report by Microsoft Research entitled “Being Human: Human-Computer Interaction in the Year 2020.” The second chapter, in particular, is very insightful and documents five major transformations: 1) The End of Interface Stability; 2) The Growth of Techno-Dependancy; 3) The Growth of Hyper-Connectivity; 4) The End of Ephemeral; and 5) the Growth of Creative Engagement.
For readers seeking a slightly more technical understanding of where computers are headed, I’d recommend this press release by Gartner, Inc. It covers a number of “grand challenges” which will dramatically alter how future computers operate and are used.
Succinctly, the major changes are:
1. Never having to manually recharge devices.
2. Parallel Programming.
3. Non-tactile, Natural Computing Interfaces. (This corresponds
with the Microsoft report.)
4. Automated Speech Translation
5. Persistent and Reliable Long-Term Storage; and
6. Increasing Programmer Productivity 100-fold.
(cont.)
