Mark Weiser (Xerox PARC:1996), is the originator of ubiquitous computing, or 'ubicomp.' XEROX PARC studies the way people work and the tools they use. He realized that the best uses of a tool is when the tool requires less of the user's attention, and the user can devote their attention to the work being done. He compares an amateur musician who needs to consciously think about every note and fingering, to an accomplished professional who knows the tool so well and so unconsciously that he can focus on the higher qualities of the music being played.
Dr. Weiser also studied trends in computing (Weiser:1996d). When computer mainframes were installed, each mainframe was used by many people. With the advent of the PC, one person uses one computer and this relationship is common in many offices today. A typical office worker spends the day in a cubicle staring at the monitor, with the workstation taking the bulk of his attention. In the future, we will have hundreds of computers per person, each quietly performing its specialized task without impinging on the user. This is already happening in the home, where embedded microprocessors are showing up in everything from ovens to thermostats and VCRs.
Dr. Weiser began research in 1988. He realized that the current technology wasn't sufficient to create the vision. He focused first on different features of ubiqutious computing, like devices that were portable and whose location was always known or devices that would make it easier for people to work together. The first prototypes were Tabs, Pads and Boards (Weiser:1991). Tabs are similar to little electronic Post-it notes, and there could be hundreds in an office, each corresponding to some small surface with information. Pads were like yellow pads, or scrap computers, meant to be used temporarily and then left for someone else. Boards are electronic white-boards, to allow group collaboration, and are in use today. Tabs are discussed in more detail in section 6.
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Ingrid Burbey
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Last modified: Wed Dec 11 1996