May - 2007: What the professionals were talking about
Views of IT news, in principle, can be built according to the scheme adopted when describing events in the lives of celebrities. There are stars, "adventures" and the relationship which focuses. In our case today is, above all, Google and Microsoft. Scandals, high-profile lawsuits, often on similar issues - copyright. Marriage and divorce, read - business consolidation (M & A). So in the past month everything has evolved according to the same rather routine scenario. However, there was one event that, from my point of view, can be safely called the Event of the Month. This is the May presentation of Microsoft Surface - a new product of the corporation. That is what I would like to focus on in this review.
The secret revolution, or how rumors of Microsoft’s impending death turned out to be somewhat exaggerated
Of course, any revolution is always prepared in secret. Only after they take mail, telegraph and ... the market, they declare that the revolution, which they have been talking about for so long ... the experts have taken place. However, in technology, in particular, if a new product is not related to defense, any development is an open secret. They talk about it at every corner, discuss it at all professional gatherings. And here after all not the atomic bomb was invented. Although it is not known, maybe in the field of information technology, the new Microsoft project will prove to be worse than any bomb. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard anything before about the fact that the “fat cat” so unloved by many people is preparing such a surprise. And, indeed, the appearance on the stage of the project “Milan” (as Microsoft itself calls its creation) turned out to be quite unexpected for many.
Externally, Microsoft Surface (Milan) resembles a small desk with a large touch screen. The real breakthrough is that the device can interact not only with a person, but also independently with objects. The areas of primary use are the most diverse, from shops to restaurants. Estimation of the starting cost of the product varies in the range of $ 7-10 thousand. However, Bill Gates promises to reduce it to $ 1 thousand over time, after which, he said, the novelty can come to every home.
')
However, speaking of the secrecy of the perfect coup, I mean not only and even not so much the closeness of the process of creating Microsoft Surface itself. I was more interested in the potential obscurity of all possible consequences of what happened. I will try to briefly explain what has been said.
The concept of Microsoft Surface implicitly means (or does not mean, and this is the main intrigue of the new project) a breakthrough in many directions. Here are just some of them.
New user interface? As it happened a little more than 20 years ago, when the line interface of computer systems interaction with the end user was supplanted by the graphical one, it may now turn out that the graphical mode of interaction is being replaced by a sensory one.
Again collective use? It seemed that collective use and personal computers are two incompatible concepts. However, one of the ideas embodied in the Microsoft Surface is the ability to work simultaneously with the “smart” table of several users.
Other principles for building hardware interfaces? Otherwise, it is not quite clear to me how, for example, interaction takes place between any digital camera placed on the surface of the “table” and the system. Unless, of course, we assume that for the presented product is mated only by hardware developed by Microsoft itself. But this is a completely separate and rather specific question of how Microsoft plans to build cooperation with manufacturers of computer peripherals and consumer electronics.
Extended use of bar codes? In order for the “table” to recognize an item that does not have a digital interface (a glass of wine, for example), this item must be identified by something like a bar code used in trading. However, "new" bar codes should not violate the design of the object and at the same time be, on the one hand, reliably connected with it, and on the other, easily replaceable (for example, to indicate the brand of wine in the glass).
New software architecture and / or programming technology? If Microsoft really is not going to limit itself to the use of its “table” by gambling houses, elite clubs and supermarkets, then this question may turn out to be one of the decisive ones. In fact, it breaks into several sub-questions:
• About the general principles of the architectural organization of programs
• About compatibility of “old” programs with Microsoft Surface software.
• About software interfaces
• On the "density" of the integration of software and hardware.
• On the methods and tools of programming.
Not only the fate of Microsoft Surface, but also the future of consumer electronics and computer equipment depends on the answers to all these and many similar questions. Let's wait for Microsoft to say further, well, and of course, time ...
An extended version of this review with all links and other top news in May is posted on my blog .
The secret revolution, or how rumors of Microsoft’s impending death turned out to be somewhat exaggerated
Of course, any revolution is always prepared in secret. Only after they take mail, telegraph and ... the market, they declare that the revolution, which they have been talking about for so long ... the experts have taken place. However, in technology, in particular, if a new product is not related to defense, any development is an open secret. They talk about it at every corner, discuss it at all professional gatherings. And here after all not the atomic bomb was invented. Although it is not known, maybe in the field of information technology, the new Microsoft project will prove to be worse than any bomb. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard anything before about the fact that the “fat cat” so unloved by many people is preparing such a surprise. And, indeed, the appearance on the stage of the project “Milan” (as Microsoft itself calls its creation) turned out to be quite unexpected for many.
Externally, Microsoft Surface (Milan) resembles a small desk with a large touch screen. The real breakthrough is that the device can interact not only with a person, but also independently with objects. The areas of primary use are the most diverse, from shops to restaurants. Estimation of the starting cost of the product varies in the range of $ 7-10 thousand. However, Bill Gates promises to reduce it to $ 1 thousand over time, after which, he said, the novelty can come to every home.
')
However, speaking of the secrecy of the perfect coup, I mean not only and even not so much the closeness of the process of creating Microsoft Surface itself. I was more interested in the potential obscurity of all possible consequences of what happened. I will try to briefly explain what has been said.
The concept of Microsoft Surface implicitly means (or does not mean, and this is the main intrigue of the new project) a breakthrough in many directions. Here are just some of them.
New user interface? As it happened a little more than 20 years ago, when the line interface of computer systems interaction with the end user was supplanted by the graphical one, it may now turn out that the graphical mode of interaction is being replaced by a sensory one.
Again collective use? It seemed that collective use and personal computers are two incompatible concepts. However, one of the ideas embodied in the Microsoft Surface is the ability to work simultaneously with the “smart” table of several users.
Other principles for building hardware interfaces? Otherwise, it is not quite clear to me how, for example, interaction takes place between any digital camera placed on the surface of the “table” and the system. Unless, of course, we assume that for the presented product is mated only by hardware developed by Microsoft itself. But this is a completely separate and rather specific question of how Microsoft plans to build cooperation with manufacturers of computer peripherals and consumer electronics.
Extended use of bar codes? In order for the “table” to recognize an item that does not have a digital interface (a glass of wine, for example), this item must be identified by something like a bar code used in trading. However, "new" bar codes should not violate the design of the object and at the same time be, on the one hand, reliably connected with it, and on the other, easily replaceable (for example, to indicate the brand of wine in the glass).
New software architecture and / or programming technology? If Microsoft really is not going to limit itself to the use of its “table” by gambling houses, elite clubs and supermarkets, then this question may turn out to be one of the decisive ones. In fact, it breaks into several sub-questions:
• About the general principles of the architectural organization of programs
• About compatibility of “old” programs with Microsoft Surface software.
• About software interfaces
• On the "density" of the integration of software and hardware.
• On the methods and tools of programming.
Not only the fate of Microsoft Surface, but also the future of consumer electronics and computer equipment depends on the answers to all these and many similar questions. Let's wait for Microsoft to say further, well, and of course, time ...
An extended version of this review with all links and other top news in May is posted on my blog .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/9623/
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