Research Issues in Adapting Computing to Small Devices

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Research Issues in Adapting Computing to Small
Devices
?fcmlau_at_cs.hku.hk

• Francis C.M. Lau
• Department of Computer Science
• The University of Hong Kong
• APPT 2005 Hong Kong

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Popular Computing

• 70s one computer, many users
• 80s one computer, one user
• 90s many (connected) computers, many users
  distributed computing
• Now many computers, one user
• What next? Ubiquitous computing? Grid computing?
  Service-oriented computing?
• Do we need that many computers?
• Do we need a computer?

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Windows Panic

• Continue or quit or kill the window or details?
• How would my mother know!?
• The best computing is without the computer

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Imagine

• APPT 2015 (Disneyland, Hong Kong)

APPT 2015
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My Future Handheld

• All in one phone, PDA, wallet, game console,
  remote terminal, ad-hoc networking
• That means a lot of software big and fat!?
• But what I really want is lean and thin and mean
• Lean simple software which does only what I
  want
• Thin thats all the space in my pocket, or
  around my neck!
• Mean affordable

LTM
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LTM Computing

• The (thin-) client-server paradigm, works but in
  limited ways
• Too thin a browser-only device, a remote
  terminal
• Future devices are more powerful than just that
• But how powerful is powerful?

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O my god!
Software complexity
Subramanian, 1999
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Rich Computing

• My hard disk and VM can be as big as the Internet
• Not just contents, but software come and go on
  demand
• Pay-per-use subscription model
• Browser plug-ins and Java applets not lean
  enough, and some require just too much resources
• Software in terms of functionalities

The Networkis the Computer
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The Network Behind Every Device

• Future digicams
• Snap and go
• The network is the memory
• The network is the photo album
• (The network is NOT the power)
• Context aware

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Edge Computing

• Person .. device .. middleware (proxies) ..
  Internet
• The abstract cloud moves with the client
  personalized cuddleware, nomadic computing

Internet
proxies united
metropolis
client
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GRID
EDGE
DEVICE
The continuum WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WHERE?
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A Continuum

• Your device .. other devices (peers) in the
  vicinity .. server(s) nearby .. the grid
• Neighborhood is still important
• network bandwidth cant be infinite latency will
  never be 0 network will never be trouble-free
• What should be done where?
• The end-device completely passive (HAS) to
  completely active (DIY)

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Hire a Server

• Completely passive (remote terminal)
• A waste of bandwidth
• Responsiveness and interactivity (esp. for games)
• Does it make sense?
• MP3, camera, PDA,
• Something must be done locally
• Adaptation

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Limits You Cant Beat

• Power?
• Screen size foldable, rollable, wearable,
  projectable? Or do without the screen (audible?)
• Convenience and privacy and power consumption
• Resolution helps a little bit
• Why I dont use a PDA (I just ordered an 24 LCD
  but I still look at my watch)
• Ergonomics is very important
• Scrolling is a nuisance (now)
• User experience!

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Wearable Computers
server
display
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Adaptation

• Data
• not code
• Content
• A special kind of data
• Text, paged, non-text
• Pixel level and/or higher
• UI
• Higher level, structural, interactive
• Buttons, icons, menus, panels and panes
• ? content
• Code

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Componentized Software

• Executable code as puzzle pieces
• Fast start, like contents
• Software download pipelining first-come-first-ex
  ecute, the most needed functionalities first

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The Need for Code On Demand

• How many functions have you ever used?

A simplified view of Microsoft Word
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Remember UNIX?

• Small is beautiful
• Make each program do one thing well
• Choose portability over efficiency
• Store data in flat ASCII files
• Avoid captive user interfaces
• Make every program a filter

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UNIX Philosophy Applied

• Small software components implementing single
  functionalities
• Bigger functions runtime-composable from small
  components
• Download on demand, and disposable
• Standard formats and interfaces (eg. XML)
• Shared GUI

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Service-Oriented Computing
Can Web Services Scale Down?- for small device
apps
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Adapting X to Y

• Many issues
• Psychology
• Aesthetics
• Readability, convenience, privacy
• Economics
• Context awareness
• Because small devices are likely mobile
• The user moves around

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Awareness and Adaptation

• An intelligent supporting architecture
• Aware of the come and go of mobile users
• Choices of functions, depending on situation the
  location, the device, the user,
• Fast reacting nearby proxy
• Proxies united, within certain locality

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Summary 1 Basic Problems (I think) Worth Pursuing

• Edge computing ? seamless
• New protocols for the edge
• The continuum ? the network is the computer
• Collaborative models and mechanisms, esp. at the
  edge
• The global grid ? invisible, PC disappearing
• The device
• Adaptation
• On-demand code composition
• The SOC approach?
• Content
• HTML
• UI description languages
• New paradigms for user interaction in small
  devices (input and output)

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Some HKU Projects

• The Sparkle Project code adaptation
• PDF document content adaptation system content
  adaptation
• HTML adaptation UI/content adaptation

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Sparkle
Application facet composition

• Mobile code on demand
• Proxy to device, device to device
• Features
• Code On Demand
• Context Based Adaptation
• Proxy Caching on Code
• Code State Migration
• Ontology
• Sparkle View Universal Browser

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Universal Browser
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PDF Document Adaptation
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Web Document Adaptation
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• The original content
• Only the bottom level is compressed
• (c) The two lowest levels are compressed

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Handling Segments
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Summary 2 When I Grow Older

• I want a simpler life (others can enjoy all the
  complexities)
• One device, LTM
• No computer please terminal is fine plug and
  play
• Single data storage by hire, access anywhere
• Single sign-on, single environment (adaptive)

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