Scott Mueller's is a renowned PC upgrading
expert and author. Mr. Mueller has written many books that are renowned
for their brilliance. He provides us with a perspective of computers
form the hardware side.
What do you think is the most important component
of the computer industry today?
The microprocessor. As the processor becomes faster and more powerful
it allows more useful and usable applications to be written. Current software
involving heavy video and graphics use requires an incredible amount of
horsepower to run smoothly and seamlessly, processing power is the major
limitation to improving software.
If you could choose one important innovation
for the future surrounding computers, what would it be?
The human-machine interface. In the future it will be possible to
implant computers directly into our brain, and to be able to control that
computer by pure thought. The visual display will be controllable, and
will be able to overlay what we currently see, similar to the heads up
display used in fighter jets and some modern autos. This implanted computer
will take the place of cellphones, PIMs (Personal Information Managers),
computers, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and provide the user with complete
communications and information management as well as information about
location, altitude, provide internal maps, etc
If I were a software person, I'd have to say the Internet,
specifically the World Wide Web.
How do you see yourself involved in the computer
industry?
As a writer and educator. My role is to explain
new technology in ways that allow people to easily understand it, and to
work with the new and existing technology in order to facilitate improvements
and repairs.
What do you think is the most important trend
to watch in the development of computers?
The current exciting trend is the integration of high speed SRAM
(Static RAM) into processor dies. This allows the cache to run at the full
speed of the processor, and not be limited by the board it is plugged into.
What is your favorite aspect of today's technology?
Improved communications via email and the Internet. For me it is
more effective than the phone, regular mail, or even fax.
Do you credit anyone in particular for leading
the computer industry to where it is today?
I credit the visionaries at the Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center)
in the '70s as being responsible for most of the software, and some of
the hardware we use today. Copying their software and ideas made Jobs (Apple)
and Gates (Microsoft) very wealthy, and has put Microsoft in control of
the software industry today.
Who do you think will be the prominent figures
in the computer industry in the future?
Whoever is in control of Microsoft and Intel are defacto prominent,
those two companies control the industry today and for the forseeable future.
What would you refer to as the first "computer"?
I'll let the historians argue that one. For me the first computer
was the first one I owned, which was an Apple ][+ dating back to the late
'70s.
Do you have any further points of interest
you would like to share to the readers?
Commercially available PC processors will soon exceed 1 Gigahertz
(GHz), and not too long after that commercially available PC disk storage
will exceed 1 Terabyte (TB = trillion bytes). This will allow more powerful
applications to be written. I see the limiting factor in the future as
one of bandwidth, specifically in one's connection to the internet. Without
higher speed connections, it will be impossible to share the large data
sets containing graphics and sound files produced by future applications.
As PCs evolve, I hope to be there with new versions of my book explaining
the technology, as well as how to implement, upgrade and repair it.
