Social Computing and Netcentric Computing Essay

Those who predict future behavior and demand for products and services correctly can profit tremendously from their planning; conversely, those who invest in technologies or applications based on assumptions or expectations that never materialize run the risk of losing their entire investment. In that respect, the computer realm is no different from the decisions and projections made in traditional types of businesses. It may just seem different by virtue of the accelerated rate of computer evolution and development and the fact that some of the specific new technologies and capabilities become so widely and rapidly adopted that they can change society practically overnight.

In all likelihood, computers today are similar to paper in the Middle Ages when producing paper was so labor intensive and expensive that very little was available and only to the wealthiest classes. Another analog might be dry cell battery technology around the turn of the 20th century.A few decades ago, computers were only available to large corporate entities and government entities. Then they became more widely available to the masses but still at a relatively high price. Because of the infamous Moore's Law, the computing power capable of being purchased for a given price continues to double roughly every year and a half. In a few more decades (if not sooner), computers will likely be so cheap that they will be disposable and purchased in packs much the way we purchase batteries today and as ubiquitous (and cheap) as paper. By that time, virtually everything (including sheets of paper) will likely have computer chips and the laptops that we use today will be relics in museums, much like the first batteries that were enormous, impractical, non-portable, and expensive to produce......