The smooth matt black box nestles snuggly in my palm; the lightness of the device still catches me by surprise, even after six months use. I`m filling in time before my flight takes off, to complete an article - a retrospective look at networks at the turn of the century all of 20 years ago. All that fuss about the Y2K bug, now that brings back some memories!
Remember IPV4? Unbelievable how rudimentary that was - it even ran out of addresses for heaven`s sake!
Back then we were starting to build what became known as the Web, or sometimes the Net, out of the old PSTN. The first version of the Internet was also only just emerging - amazing how basic that all seems now. What was it called? The World Wide Wait. Wonder if I can use a video clip to show how slow the networks used to be? I fire up my assistant, and speak into my throat mike: "Search please. Parameters: PSTN/telephones/modems/Internet. File type: video. Go." "OK boss." replies my assist. The random answer feature`s quite fun - I have a dozen different answers, sometime the more salacious ones can be somewhat embarrassing in meetings.
My PDA vibrates to let me know of an incoming call - do I want to receive a video call? I see it`s my son Ben, and accept the call. After all, the bill for the bandwidth usage will come out of his prepaid account (a feeble attempt by me to instill some sense of financial control into the lad). We chat and he`s excited about winning the latest Warhammer Mega-Game on the Net. Seemingly, there were 1 000 kids from all around the globe involved in this play-off, playing at all times of the day and night. I think back to my childhood and nights spent hiding under the duvet, reading with a torch.
Apparently the new version of Quicktime, based on fractals, allows ultra-realistic landscaping and infinite expansion of detail. Of course network access bandwidth has increased too, along with the phone bill, and Ben wants his account topped up. Hey, what are Dads for?
Back to the future
We sign off, I access and update Ben`s account with another 50 euros, and take time to look around the airport lounge. Remember IPV4? Unbelievable how rudimentary that was - it even ran out of addresses for heaven`s sake! Then hotshot V6 came along, which solved the numbers thing and the techies used to say: "So many addresses, we can all have 10 and still have some left." Well, of course, now that the Net has standardised on IP7, we use our numbers as the key identifier for all personal details, driving licence, passport numbers, health records, tax, etc. And all those problems with quality-of-service were, thankfully, resolved - at least in most areas. There are still some areas where the Net is on V6, but with the now standard dual mode Symbian PDA operating system, all that means is less bandwidth and functionality. Voice still gets through, and surprisingly enough, that seems to be the most important thing in communication.
My assist wants my attention. She`s found some interesting clips. Some graphics even show how poor RSVP [an open technology] was! The multimedia articles are so useful for getting your point across - how did we manage with just printed text? The flexible LCD display, even the first version in black and white, was an instant hit. The colour one blew printed magazines into the dusty archives of history. Now personal profiles for special interest just download the latest edition from the Web. A single eMag can provide any number of special interest topics at a subscription fee. And music eMags have become the world`s best-selling titles since stereo sound support became an intrinsic feature of the Web. There`s also the so-called free eMags, but you have to put up with so much advertising that I prefer to pay a premium and get my information without the ad blurbs.
An alert-message pops up, interrupting my work and train of thought. It`s from the air traffic control system. I smile ruefully. I`d better call Ben to tell him the plane`s been delayed. Funny isn`t it, how some things never change?
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