Status of Grid Computing and Possible Impacts on Page Turning Software

I am at the New Media Days conference in Copenhagen and trying a bit of live-blogging. So if you find an unusual rate of typos, that's why.

A panel consisting of: Nick Brouk, Professor, CERN Jasper Bouswama, Enterprise Development Group and Oleg Podsechlin, Director, Ionsquare gave an interesting and eye-opening presentation of grid computing and where we are today. The grid is a new approach to the internet that is based on distribution to a much higher extent. It has capabilities boost speed of the internet by thousands and enable new forms of collaboration, how data can be calculated and even how we work. One of the most well-known examples of grid computing is the SETI@home screen saver.

Grid computing is basically "computer power as a service". The grid can utilize the ultra-fast networks being built currently and interconnecting the world and make data computing much more efficient. In a world where network speeds are practically unlimited, computing power becomes the scarce resource. That means that a data computing tasks can be done on any available server in the world. It does not matter where that computing is done and where data is. Grid computing will mark the end for the client-server paradigm. You will no longer have to install programs on your computer, rather you subscripe to what you need, whether it is text editing applications, a game or - of course - page turning software.

So how does the grid impact page turning software?

First of all the grid will once and for all eliminate waiting time. Because data can be brought to you so fast, your readers can access your online publications where- and whenever they want. In addition, downtime will become a phenomenon from the past. If something is not working, it will be a local problem, as data always can be distributed from somewhere else. Furthermore, we will probably see changes in business models down the road. The panel predicts a usage-based model, where you pay for what you use. Most probably, companies won't charge their reader, so content will be delivered swift and free. But again - we are a few years ahead here. The turn from the normal world wide web to grid computing won't happen over night but it is worth paying attention to. The switch to hosted software is a step towards the grid, as software and computing as we know it, may be revolutionized over the next few years.

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