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Home Alliance Platform(s) for Computing, Entertainment, and Control

Home Alliance Platform(s) for Computing, Entertainment, and Control . Digital Equipment Corporation Platform Creation Experience. Standards & Platforms Heuristics. Future Mini-Vision for the. September 20, 2002 Gordon Bell, Microsoft Research gbell@microsoft.co m.

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Home Alliance Platform(s) for Computing, Entertainment, and Control

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  1. Home Alliance Platform(s) for Computing, Entertainment, and Control Digital Equipment Corporation Platform Creation Experience. Standards & Platforms Heuristics. Future Mini-Vision for the. September 20, 2002 Gordon Bell, Microsoft Research gbell@microsoft.com

  2. “The future is already here –it’s just not evenly distributed.”

  3. Points to cover • DEC: Platforms made it and destroyed it • Standards aka platform creation heuristics • Homely environments and platforms for • Computing and media merger • Entertainment: audio, games, TV, video (including security) • Communication akaTelephony • Control?? • Plan/Vision: Build from strength & needs… • create the IP Infrastructure for computing, • add media capture and management • evolve telephony, security, and control?

  4. Platforms are enabling standards… • Machine platforms enable endless products – Bobcats, Cuisinarts … Computers. • Great platforms preserve and enhance investments e.g. software, data … t,$ • A good platform stimulates applications, use and “complementors” • Are we talking platform, peripheral, component, or just another random product? • How do you architect platforms? Generality

  5. Computer Platform Evolution • In the beginning: Programs rode on bare metal… Program components were collected and loaded together into the computer, and ran. “A true PC”. • The computer and organization take charge: Batch operating systems… job control, etc. • Timesharing environments: services e.g. editor, language providing a “virtual computer” to each user • Personal computer… evolution followed timesharing • WWW: The Ultimate Client-Server environment. • GRID, .NET et al… now computers can use the web

  6. Physical layers of integration (t)

  7. Vertically integrated vs dis-integrated 1982-present 1950s-present Each company & sub-industry provides every level-of- integration (e.g. mainframes … minis) to ensure proprietary environments e.g. CAD, CAM • Levels-of-integration: • Customer-specific • Professional apps (e.g. accounting) • Generic apps (Word) • Language & database • Operating system • Hardware platform • Hardware components • Circuits and processor architecture ... WP, SS, Mail Word... Excel Lang's & Dbases Oracle...Sybase Windows, VendorIX AIX ... HP/UX Disk, tapes, etc 6 Microprocessor Keiretsus

  8. The IBM “Mainframe” & "IBM PC“ User Data and Content Org. apps Prof.apps Generic apps Std. Langs Oper.Sys. Hardware Platform Inst.Set Arch IBM IBM 360 Org. apps Prof.apps Generic apps Std. Langs Oper.Sys.Microsoft Hardware Platform Inst.Set Arch Intel Intel - Microsoft“IBM PC" 10,000s binary std. binary std. IBM few Fujistu, Hitachi, IBM 1000s few

  9. DEC Platform “Experiences” • Generality was the over-arching architecture focus • GB: “The one fatal mistake is too few address bits.” c1970, 1978, 1990. PDP-11 (1969-85) & VAX (1977-1999). IPV4 & IPv6 • The importance of standards increased with time • 1960s: platform to preserve software investment • 1970s: ISA, bus (Unibus), Language(s), O/Ss • 1980s: O/S (including a database) and apps • VAX/VMS Architecture (and architects) • VAX architectural office defined VAX. • VMS defined & implemented by Dave Cutler • VAX Strategy (CGB)… many computer sizes/styles with interconnects for one program platform • DIX– Ethernet, the world’s interconnect standard IBM Token Ring standard made $$$s; cost the world • Three PCs c1982. Platform failure!!!

  10. Procesors Memories if any, I/O comm Unibus: for building block computers 1970s-1990s • Elegance - One, general purpose switch to connect: • processor and memory • i/o and memory • processor and i/o • even i/o and i/o • Longevity • i/o communication remained for 15 years • processor and memory links became specialized • Progenitor of • Nearly all computers, e.g. “multis” 15 m> 1 m > .20cm.

  11. VAX Strategy as presented to BOD 12/78.Valid until 88-92

  12. Clients compute server print server file server comm server Ethernet: The Unibus of the 80s (UART of the 90s) • Ethernet designed for • DEC: Interconnected VAXen, terminals • Xerox: Enabled distributed computing (SUN, PCs) • Ethernet evolved into nets, boxes, and an industry • Distributed computing was very hard, evolving into • expensive, asymmetric, hard to maintain, • client server for a VendorIX • apps are bound to a configuration & VendorIX! • network is NOT the computer • Internet is less hierarchical, democratic, peer-peer 2Km

  13. Gordon’s standards heuristics • Either make the standard or follow one. If you fail you do it twice. • If the standard changes, change rapidly • Revolution: It’s ok to foment revolution when a standard is wrong. • Somebody has to be responsible. • Minimize the number of “responsible” people, organizations. Too much involvement guarantees failure. • Almost any standard is often better than none. Progress from regression. • Provide and plan for evolution; it’s often the fastest way. The evolution of a real standard is likely to beat the “ideal”. • Base the standard on experience, not on a committee design; if you haven’t lived with a proposed standard, don’t adopt it. The only way to ensure a real standard is to implement it. • Make the standard precise, understandable, applicable, and useful at several levels of detail. • Only one or a few standards are needed or can exist for the same function; a standard should aim toward unifying a set of alternatives. Ideally, an interface (or platform) standard should define the Interface between sets of parts, not just two parts. Having too many standards is like having none.

  14. Gordon’s very own Vision for the evolution of Home Networks • We’re on a quest for cyberization • Three networks need to converge for: • computation, • communication and • entertainment • A look inside the home • A look at the black boxes • Integrating audio, photos, video and TV

  15. "The PC is going to be the place where you store the information … really the center of control“ Billg 1/7/2001 MyLifeBits is an “on-going” project following CyberAll to “cyberize” all of personal bits! • Memory recall of books, CDs, communication, papers, photos, video • Photos of physical object collections • Elimination of all physical stores & objects • Content source for home media: ambiance, entertainment, communication, interaction Freestyle for CDs, photos, TV content, videos • All telephone conversations and messages Goal: to understand the 1 TByte PC: need, utility, cost, feasibility, challenge & tools.

  16. Cyberspace: A Network of ... Networks of ... Body Continent Region/ Intranet Home Campus World

  17. Data Telephony Television Cyberspace: one, two or three networks?

  18. Games Television world Telephony world VCR CDs >97 Wire- less Cable Cable phone The Colliding Worlds of TV, Telephony & Datacom a.k.a. Computing & Internet Broad- cast LECs Long Dist. LECs TV DBS Cable I’net PBX ITV? I’net Phone The Internet LAN PBX RADIO Pvt. WANs clients/ servers Wire- less LANs Datacom world

  19. Vcr, settop, media and channel co’s for Television

  20. Digital Rights Management… unless MPAA provides a reasonable market for media, the world will be wholly converted into thieves. • Provide a “reasonable” market and industry for renting, owning, viewing, etc. content • Make it illegal to record video, police every hard drive, and prosecute users • Eliminate the “open video” interface and replace with DVI Cableetc Set-top “Open vs DVI Monitor Encoder

  21. Gaming 2-channel intercom network Security camera US West Phone System TCI Cable Phones Jake’s Room PC Chris’s Room PC Den PC Bonus Room PC Intercom to next door Theater Room Gaming PC Rec Room Gaming PC Bonus Room Gaming PC Family Room Gaming PC Data Network Brianv’s Home Fiber to next door house Den Color Printer Bonus Room Laser Printer NT Server w/BackOffice Den Laser Printer Phast Processor Fax 200 DVD Jukebox AM/F M Receiver To Theater System … … Smart Light Switches To CATV Outlets around house Room Keypads Sound System CH 93 CH 94 Audio Zones 600 CD Jukebox CD/DVD Catalog CH 92 Intercom Zones … Modulaors Spliters CATV Phast Controller CH 90 DSS Sprinker Valves Caller ID CH 91 Moisture Sensors VMail Thermostats 8 analog lines 64 pair phone cable Radiant Heat Valves Garage door openers Garage door sensors 4 VMail lines PBX Security System 20 digital lines Sensors in House

  22. gbell small home network hub for wired and wireless data, security, CATV, and telephony… no free lunch • DSL (IP dial tone) and cable data • Ethernet and 802.11b (2.4 GHz) internal • Telephony and 2.4 GHz telephony • Fax switching • Power and UPS • Security • Cable TV

  23. Living room wiring

  24. A Digital Transformer for Audio: Gateway’s Connected Home Audio Player built by Turtle Beach

  25. Home media network with Digital Transformers…

  26. Existing Home Entertainment Centers

  27. The “Black PC” aka DHEC: Digital Home Entertainment Center

  28. A digital hub

  29. Media center 2

  30. Scenes from Media Center

  31. Robie, a Mobile Robot for Telepresence, surveillance & video conferencing with messenger access.

  32. Telepresence: being there

  33. The End

  34. platform, peripheral, protocol … appliance, application, architecture, & interface • Architecture • Interface • Protocol • Platform • & peripheral • System: One person’s system is another person’s component • Component • Appliances: e.g. camera, editor, • Application and appolution • User as in ui, gui, vui

  35. x "Standards" Types • industry i.e. de facto one company -intel/Microsoft; IBM 360… • proprietary VendorIX - the n-UNIX dialect platforms • trade-markUNIX™ AT&T >Novell • PR standards - OSF + COSE =1170 • “open” if it’s LINUX… but watch it go proprietary • de jour, or faux = proprietary + ? standards • gov’t & int’l bodies – e.g. CCITT, IEEE, OSI, POSIX) • de jure >>government mandated - ADA, DES, OSI, VHDL • implicit platform proprietary database/app -- Oracle • cross-industry forum - e.g. JPEG & MPEG • consortia – e.g. ATM, Bluetooth, Xopen, OSF, OMG • company centered consortia - e.g. PowerOpen, Sparc Int. • chaotic - The first Internet & MOSAIC

  36. x "Standards" Types & Suppliers industry i.e. de facto one company with a common system for PCs to multiprocessors (Intel/Microsoft); IBM 360, 370… evolution proprietary UNIX VendorIX platform suppliers that advertise open-ness & compatibility, but are platform lock-ins ... e.g. self-incompatible SUN environments a trade-mark,UNIX™ AT&T's failed effort sold to another disinterested party (Novell) self-declared or PR standards (OSF & COSE) open or de jure a slow-moving, gov't & international bodies defining irrelevant standards (ATM, Bluetooth, POSIX, OSI) implicit Database suppliers with cross-platform databases & proprietary apps (Oracle ...Sybase) explicit Cross-platform environment builders (Visix...Powersoft) wanna be de facto consortium of 2-3 companies defining 2-3 sets of environments (Apple, IBM) Faux standards = proprietary + real standards

  37. Section: de facto vs de jure vs "open" standards"open-ness" is meaningless, irrelevant,& non-existent“standard” usually means different or not the same • An open system (IEEE P1003.0) is one that implements sufficient open specifications* for interfaces, services, and supporting formats to enable properly engineered appssoftware to: • 1. be ported with minimal or no changes to a wide range of systems • 2. interoperate with other apps on local & remote systems • 3. interact with users in a style that facilitates user portability. • *Open specs are public & maintained by an "open", consensus process to accommodate new technology (t) consistent with international standards.

  38. Tests for apps portability, compatibility,and platforms open-ness • Is there a single source file for all apps for all ports of an app across multiple platforms? • Is there a single user manual & training course for all ports of an app across multiple platforms? • Is there one format for the removable media & server for all ports of an app across multiple platforms? • Can an arbitrary Client-Server apps interoperate across multiple vendor platforms running either Client or Server?

  39. Standards, Portability, Interoperability, and Open-ness • Standards are aimed at portability & interoperability, however user investment is data and the apps that interpret that data • Portability is the ability to move apps, data, and people among “computer” system architectures. • Interoperability is the ability for people and programs to exchange information in a meaningful way. • An open system (IEEE P1003.0) is one that implements sufficient open specifications* for interfaces, services, and supporting formats to enable properly engineered applicationssoftware to: • 1. be ported with minimal or no changes to a wide range of systems • 2. interoperate with other apps on local & remote systems • 3. interact with users in a style that facilitates user portability. • *Open specs are public & maintained by an "open", consensus process to accommodate new technology (t) consistent with international standards.

  40. Hardware platform, VendorIX, dbase, app, user chain User User User User App App App Dbase1 Dbase2 Dbasek Dbase10 UNIX1 UNIX2-1 UNIX2-2 UNIXj-1 UNIXj-2 UNIX2 UNIX75 Platform Platform Platform Platform Platform Micro6 Micro1 Micro2

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