We Don’t Need Computers
By: Bob Young
Tags: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Computer Science, Application

Today I had a thought about how “we don’t need computers.” It sounds absurd, but bear with me; I’m trying to introduce you to a new way of looking at computers and the information they process.

Server Rack (photo by Author)

When I was a boy and had a bike, I had to “maintain” it. The idea was to keep it working as long as possible, with tip-top performance.

When I was a young man and had a car, I had to “maintain” it. The idea was to keep it working as long as possible, with tip-top performance.

In my adult career, I worked on various kinds of electronics systems, and I had to “maintain” them. The idea was to keep them working as long as possible, with tip-top performance.

But now, in 2020, the concept of maintaining information systems isn’t really accurate. We have to “advance” them. I’ll explain what I mean by that.

Examples are numerous. I know of an update to an LMS (Learning Management System) that was designed to work with HTML5 because it was more secure than Flash. The company where I was working at the time couldn’t upgrade to the new LMS version using HTML5 because the Point-of-Sale (POS) system hadn’t been updated. It required the older version of the browser that used Flash. It was a domino effect: the POS application needed a browser that used Flash. The LMS application needed a browser that used HTML5. So the company needed to update the POS, then update the browser, then update the LMS.

For another example, go back a little further, and consider the changes brought about by the move from 32-bit to 64-bit operating systems. People were angry when they learned their old applications would no longer run. They had to buy new programs. Just a few minutes later, when they discovered that they had to buy a new printer because there was no 64-bit driver for their old one — even though it still worked — they really blew a gasket!

Two more examples: right now, DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is being rolled out, along with TLS 1.3. Within two years, many of today’s security tools will be ineffective because they won’t be able to (1) read the contents of a packet, or (2) identify the packet’s source (for inbound traffic) or destination (for outbound traffic).

So, what does this have to do with not needing a computer? What does it mean to say that today, we don’t “maintain” systems, we “advance” them?

Hardware is no longer being obsoleted by aged parts. To use a car analogy: the gears don’t get worn-down teeth. The cylinders don’t have eroding walls. The hoses don’t get stiff and crack. The break shoes don’t get too thin. To use a computer analogy: the bearings in the blower fan don’t seize. The power supply resistors don’t burn up. The contacts in the USB ports don’t wear out.

But still, we have to throw that computer or tablet or smartphone away (please recycle!) and replace it because it no longer has the processing power, storage, memory, or network speed that it needs in order to be able to process information.

We don’t need the hardware. What we need, and actually pay for, is a little more abstract. We need the ability to manipulate information. We need to be able to transmit, receive, process, and store information.

This information processing capability exists in the real world as carefully crafted combinations of steel, copper, plastic, silicon, electromagnetic waves, and more. Your computer — the physical endpoint of this vast, distributed real-world entity — is ever-changing. The whole system, from the endpoints to the infrastructure, is ever-changing. We update the apps and the operating systems. We update the BIOS, UEFI, and firmware. And we replace the hardware itself with some new device that can hold bigger apps, store more information, process it quicker, and transmit it faster.

Think about it this way: where is your “computer”? I have a laptop. Is that my computer? I have a tablet. Is that my computer? Maybe it’s my smartphone — is that it? But wait — what about Alexa, or Ring, or Nest? What about the CPU in your thermostat, your light switch, your car? And where is your data actually located? Is the “cloud” server where your data is stored in Los Angeles? Berlin? Tokyo? Or is it maybe backed up to multiple geographical locations? If you use IP telephony like Teams or Zoom, let’s not forget about the physical location of the infrastructure that you use for every call. Where is your account stored, and where is your list of contacts?

You see, your “computer” is no longer a physical entity connected to a printer just 3 feet away. Your computer cannot function (the way you use it) without all of these endpoints and the interconnections that enable them to perform tasks cohesively. The “computer,” as a stand-alone device, hardly exists any more. And if you had one, you’d be pretty disappointed, because you couldn’t do much with it.

This is why I say we don’t “need” the device, which we no longer maintain. What we need is the ability to manipulate information, and we need to do it at ever-increasing rates of speed and quantity. We’ve gone from maintenance to advancement. We’re no longer concerned with keeping a physical device as long as possible. Now, we’re concerned with advancing our intangible ability to manipulate information.

The device is impermanent, and in almost all cases will still be in working order (within its design limits) when it’s obsolete.

If you’re an IT professional, it’s time to shift your paradigm, if you haven’t already. Your job isn’t to maintain the physical system anymore. Your job is to advance the organization’s ability to manipulate information at a rate that meets or exceeds business requirements.

Let me express that last paragraph in a different way. Your job isn’t to keep those old servers running as long as possible. Your job is to replace hardware and software at a pace that keeps up with the changes in information processing. Your job is to keep the organization able to manipulate information at all times. You won’t do that by maintaining equipment. You’ll do that by advancing the system at an appropriate rate of speed.

— Bob Young

18 December 2020

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