Title: Home Alliance Platform(s) for Computing, Entertainment, and Control
1Home 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_at_microsoft.com
2- The future is already here its just not
evenly distributed.
3Points 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?
4Platforms 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
5Computer 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
6Levels of Integration
7Physical layers of integration (t)
8Standards levels formation c1982 disintegraton
of computing
- Silicon Wafer bipolar gt CMOS (proprietary
process standards requires formalization to
realize a silicon foundry-based industry) - Standard Chips micros, microperipherals, and
memories evolution of Intel and Motorola
architectures that are synchronized to the
evolution of memory chip sizes/8080 (4K), Z80
(16K), 8086 and 68,000 (64K), 286, 68020, and
NS32032 (256K) - Printed Circuit Board buses that are
synchronized to micro and memory/S-l00,
Multibuses, PC Bus, VME - Electromechanical disks, monitors, power
supplies, enclosures/eight-inch, 5gt3(?)
floppies 5 Winchester disk. - Operating System base, communication gateways,
databases/CP/M, MS/DOS, Unix. - 3rd Generation Proced. Programming Languages.
Fortran, Basic, C - Generic Applications word processing, e-mail,
spreadsheets - Discipline and Profession-Specific Application
CAD, CAE, control - Content specific to use or application
9Vertically integrated vs dis-integrated
1982-present
1950s-present
Each company sub-industry provides every level-o
f- 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
10The 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 -
MicrosoftIBM PC"
10,000s
binary std.
binary std.
IBM
few
Fujistu, Hitachi, IBM
1000s
few
11DEC 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 worlds interconnect standard
IBM Token Ring standard made s cost the world
- Three PCs c1982. Platform failure!!!
12Unibus 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 mgt 1 m gt .20cm.
13VAX Strategy as presented to BOD 12/78.Valid
until 88-92
14Ethernet 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
15Gartner Group degree of server-ness models c1995,
pre-WWW. Message It has to be simple!!!!
16.NET views
17Gordons standards heuristics
- Either make the standard or follow one. If you
fail you do it twice. - If the standard changes, change rapidly
- Revolution Its 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 its 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 havent lived with a
proposed standard, dont 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.
18Gordons very own Vision for the evolution of
Home Networks
- Were 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
19"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.
20Cyberspace A spiraling quest in 3D real space
Computation
Cyberization
Communication
21Cyberspace A Network of ... Networks of ...
Body
Continent
Region/ Intranet
Home
Campus
World
22Cyberspace one, two or three networks?
23The Colliding Worlds of TV, Telephony Datacom
a.k.a. Computing Internet
Games
Television world
Telephony world
VCR
CDs gt97
Wire- less
Cable
Cable phone
Broad- cast
LECs
Long Dist.
LECs TV
DBS
PBX
Cable Inet
Inet Phone
ITV?
The Internet
LAN PBX
RADIO
Pvt. WANs
clients/ servers
Wire- less
LANs
Datacom world
24Vcr, settop, media and channel cos for Television
25Digital Rights Management unless MPAA provides
a reasonable market for media, the world will be
wholly converted into thieves.
Set-top
Monitor
Cableetc
Open vs DVI
Encoder
- 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
26The Connected Home
Peripherals
Digital photos
TV
TV
Gaming
Screen devices
Stereo
27(No Transcript)
28Gaming 2-channel intercom network
Jakes Room PC
Chriss Room PC
Den PC
Bonus Room PC
Intercom to next door
Theater Room Gaming PC
Rec Room Gaming PC
Family Room Gaming PC
Bonus Room Gaming PC
Data Network
Brianvs Home
Fiber to next door house
Den Color Printer
Bonus Room Laser Printer
NT Server w/BackOffice
Den Laser Printer
Fax
Phast Processor
200 DVD Jukebox
To Theater System
AM/F M Receiver
Smart Light Switches
To CATV Outlets around house
Sound System
Room Keypads
CH 93
CH 94
CD/DVD Catalog
600 CD Jukebox
Audio Zones
CH 92
CATV
Modulaors Spliters
Intercom Zones
Phast Controller
CH 90
DSS
Sprinker Valves
CH 91
Caller ID
Moisture Sensors
VMail
Thermostats
8 analog lines
64 pair phone cable
Radiant Heat Valves
PBX
Garage door openers
Garage door sensors
4 VMail lines
Security System
20 digital lines
Sensors in House
29gbell 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
30Living room wiring
31A Digital Transformer for Audio Gateways
Connected Home Audio Player built by Turtle Beach
32Home media network with Digital Transformers
33Existing Home Entertainment Centers
34The Black PC aka DHEC Digital Home
Entertainment Center
35A digital hub
36(No Transcript)
37Media center 2
38Scenes from Media Center
39Robie, a Mobile Robot for Telepresence,
surveillance video conferencing with messenger
access.
40Telepresence being there
41The End
42platform, peripheral, protocol appliance,
application, architecture, interface
- Architecture
- Interface
- Protocol
- Platform
- peripheral
- System One persons system is another persons
component - Component
- Appliances e.g. camera, editor,
- Application and appolution
- User as in ui, gui, vui
43"Standards" Types
x
- industry i.e. de facto one company
-intel/Microsoft IBM 360 - proprietary VendorIX - the n-UNIX dialect
platforms - trade-mark UNIX ATT gtNovell
- PR standards - OSF COSE 1170
- open if its LINUX but watch it go proprietary
- de jour, or faux proprietary ? standards
- govt intl bodies e.g. CCITT, IEEE, OSI,
POSIX) - de jure gtgtgovernment 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
44"Standards" Types Suppliers
x
- 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 ATT'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
45Section de facto vs de jure vs "open"
standards"open-ness" is meaningless,
irrelevant, non-existentstandard 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 apps software 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.
46Tests 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?
47Standards, 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 applications software
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.
48Hardware platform, VendorIX, dbase, app, user
chain
User
User
User
User
App
App
App
Dbase2
Dbase1
Dbase10
Dbasek
UNIX1
UNIX2-1
UNIXj-1
UNIX75
UNIX2-2
UNIX2
UNIXj-2
Platform
Platform
Platform
Platform
Platform
Micro6
Micro2
Micro1