The future of computing

[$alvador]

It's a couple months old by now but still the best article (two-parter) I've read so far on the limits of silicon, how we've already been reaching the end of linear progress for the past few years, and where we are headed.

http://www.extremetech.com/computin...rom-one-core-to-many-and-why-were-still-stuck
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...scaling-exploring-options-on-the-cutting-edge

This kind of shit really makes me wonder about the future. We seem to be headed in a direction where the definition of "computer" is changing from a system based around a CPU to a network of low-power SoCs working together to do processor work. It does make sense though, I mean right now your smartphone becomes kind of useless when you get home and have a much more powerful workstation to start using. What if the smartphone could connect to your home network and function as a co-processor? With ARM set to release x86 chips, it could be right on the horizon

 

[Leroy]

Interesting read. Not sure of your age, but if anything, this is a return to the distributed computing concept. You may have heard of it, it's called "cloud"

Distributed computing has its own challenges, and I'm not sure cloud has solved them. Seems we are dumbly heading into deep water without much forethought.

 

[Starman4xz]

Good read.
But even with all this speed, even the x86 processors that we are already using, they are pretty fast as-is. Why would you want to be able to attach more processors (like you said to attach your phone to your computer)? I have not seen programs that even require that amount of cores or speed.

 

[Xilorator]

It's not that it requires it, it's just that we are in a fast paced world. I want my phone to be instant as well as my computer. It's just a competitive feature companies compete on.

 

[Glocky]

Had to take most of the articles with a grain of sand, similar to all the stuff about Broadwell (post Haswell) SOC stuff ending the PC "as we know it"

They will continue to make what they can make profit on for sure, so I guess if the overclocker, gamer, enthusiast market gets small enough, then stuff could get boring. But until then... have fun! :) Crap... I think I talked myself into buying Haswell.

 

[$alvador]

Had to take most of the articles with a grain of sand, similar to all the stuff about Broadwell (post Haswell) SOC stuff ending the PC "as we know it"

They will continue to make what they can make profit on for sure, so I guess if the overclocker, gamer, enthusiast market gets small enough, then stuff could get boring. But until then... have fun! :) Crap... I think I talked myself into buying Haswell.

the problem is not that innovations will usurp the role of the PC but rather that we're reaching the point of diminishing returns for advancements to silicon microchips. So instead of faster and faster CISC x86 chips now we have manufacturers trying to improve SoCs.

Good read.
But even with all this speed, even the x86 processors that we are already using, they are pretty fast as-is. Why would you want to be able to attach more processors (like you said to attach your phone to your computer)? I have not seen programs that even require that amount of cores or speed

The big deal about the SoC chips is they can do way more floating-point operations (FLOP) per watt than the classic CPU. Both rendering games and calculating results for scientific distributed computing projects (like Folding@Home) rely on FLOPs, which is why we need discrete GPUs for good gaming performance. The problem is GPUs are insanely energy inefficient compared to a few SoCs together that can match or exceed the performance of a GPU for a great deal less energy. And so this is why they're in all the smartphones; because they can render flashy visual effects for the least amount of energy.

How does it fit? The industry right now is pushing for greater integration across devices. Apple is merging OS X with iOS. As of Windows 8, Microsoft is now putting the same OS on tablets and phones as PCs. Even the Fedora Project is planning to sync update cycles for the ARM version of the distro with the desktop version. They want to create seamless computing environments where your phone and desktops sync automatically through your home network when you walk in the door of your home. It sounds kind of utopian but of course it also means you'll probably need to ditch your iPhone for a Windows 8 phone if you want it to interact seamlessly with your Windows 8 desktop, or vice versa for changing desktops to OS X.

For commercial purposes it all comes down to making smartphone and desktop UIs look sleeker and render snappier than they do now so people will be as impressed as they were with the iPhone and line the pockets of Apple and Microsoft for years to come. For our purposes, it means that SoCs may replace our discrete GPUs in the near future so that we can render videos and games at higher, more life-like resolutions without stutter.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

+1 Leroy, the cloud is where it all started, and that's where it's (already) heading. Gone will be the days of programs executing locally, rather programs will situate on servers and will be processed there before the information processed will stream to your ultra-low bandwidth-capped internet; merked by the stranglehold of Canada's closed market scheme, I mean system.

But seriously, server-based cloud will win (I don't want it to) and the general [dumb] population will just roll with it (re: Windows 8).