G'bye Web, hello Grid
Out of context: Reply #14
- Started
- Last post
- 26 Responses
- detritus0
They've been banging on about Grids of different flavours for years - and the licensing issue (potentially a variant on 'tiered internet') is more worrisome for the net as we currently know - ie. if it's a wholly separate network, it becomes easier and more logical to charge a premium for it - leading to a fracturing of the web as we know and the corporate commodotisation of it. This is the sharp point of the digital divide that's been increasingly worrying people smarter than I. Before, there were the haves and have nots, in the future there may well be the have nots, the have somes and have it alls (at a price).
I really hope it does become consumer-useful, though I've a strong suspicion it'll remain in academic hands for a wee while yet. I was just reading last night of a new telescope they're building in Chile, which will scan the skies fully each night, generating 30 terabytes of data to be distributed worldwide daily. This is just one project, for one arm of science. Other arms (think genetics) are becoming increasingly digital hungry too, which is what makes me think the current CERN effort will remain private for the forseeable future.
But hark! Listen to me pretending to know what I'm gibbering about again.
- Kudos for the "sharp point of the digital divide" phrasing.TheBlueOne
- Hmm.. thanks, though I missed the word 'wedge' from that phrasing, so it didn't really make much sense!detritus