Computing Fabrics (1998-2003)

On May 19, 2003: Eric Lundquist, Editor-in-Chief of eWeek, recognized that IBM's On-Demand Computing, HP's Adaptive Enterprise, and Sun's N1 are all movements towards Computing Fabrics as we first predicted them in 1998.

On January 7, 2002: eWeek called our 1998 Computing Fabrics Cover Story "Prescient"
and declared The Grid, a subset of Computing Fabrics, "The Next Big Thing".

Riding the
Third Wave


In the News 2002-2004

Computing's Next Wave 1998
(The First Report)

The Next Big Thing 2002
Computing Fabrics & Grids

The Three Waves of Computing

Architecture

Defined & Compared

Resources

Conferences & Workshops

The Bigger Picture

 

Computing Fabrics 2003
In the News

Thanks for the Credit!

Utility Computing Fabrics
-On the Way
Utility Meets Reality
By Eric Lundquist
eWeek
May 19, 2003

On May 19, 2003, Eric Lundquist's Opinion column in eWeek discussed the growing move to Utility Computing in all its various incarnations.

He recognized that IBM's On-Demand Computing, HP's Adaptive Enterprise, and Sun's N1 are all movements towards Computing Fabrics as we first predicted them in 1998.

Eric said:

"While lacking a claim to first usage, we as a publication (then PC Week) carried an article on computing fabrics in 1998. That article was written by Erick and Linda von Schweber, who called themselves the Infomaniacs and were well-remembered at Comdex's Spencer Katt parties for their glittering robes and out-there predictions. When I talked to them earlier this month at their new digs in San Francisco, they were still well-grounded in fabrics, grids and the utility computing business."

"While the fabrics are still being woven, in Infomaniac speak, the days when utility computing will be easy and safe are still about a year and a half away. That's not too far for planning purposes, but it's still not reality, either. According to Erick von Schweber, the payoff in utility computing will be when functionalities can be combined while the methodologies to build those functions remain constant."

We recommend you read the entire column, Utility Meets Reality.

 

Computing Fabrics 2002
In the News

Thanks for the Accolades!

The Next Big Thing 2002
Computing Fabrics and Grids

On January 7, 2002 Rob Fixmer:

  • Describes the Infomaniacs' 1998 Computing Fabrics article as "prescient"
  • Declares Grid Computing as The Next Big Thing
  • Decides "Fabric? Grid? The only difference is the density of the weave

We'd like to thank eWeek's Rob Fixmer and Eric Lundquist for the wonderful column and the accolades - it's always great to see the press take notice of our work.

Get the Most Bang for Your Budget This Year
By Eric Lundquist
eWeek
Editor in Chief
January 7, 2002

"And if you want to take an even longer view of the next big thing, Rob Fixmer, in this week's InteractiveWeek section, dives into the promise of grid computing and finds there really was something to what the Infomaniacs were telling our readers when they championed computing fabrics back in 1998."

 
in eWeek

Open Source Is the Loom for Fabrics
By Rob Fixmer

eWeek
January 7, 2002

 

"In the Fall of 1998, Erick and Linda Von Schweber, founders of the Infomaniacs think tank, published an article in eWeek predicting the evolution of "a new wave in computing—one that we believe promises within the next five years to deliver almost limitless cheap computing power and to change the balance of power among technology vendors."

"They called their idea "computing fabrics" and described it as "a new architecture" that would "erase the distinctions between network and computer" by linking "thousands of processors and storage devices into a single system."

"Today, only three years into their five-year time frame, the concept is called "grid computing," and, increasingly, it's hailed as the Next Big Thing. Fabric? Grid? The only difference is the density of the weave.

"Recently, as I reread the Von Schwebers' prescient article..."

Be sure to read Rob's entire article.
And read Erick's Response:
The Grid and Computing Fabrics

 

 

 

By Linda Von Schweber
& Erick Von Schweber

Copyright 1996-2004 by Infomaniacs. All Rights Reserved.
Updated May 28, 2003