A vision for computer science — the system perspective
Joseph Sifakis · Open Computer Science · 2011
The evolution of computer scienceComputer Science is a young discipline.Its foundations were laid in 1936 by the seminal work of A.M. Turing and K. Gödel.Its scope and focus have changed continuously over the past seven decades.The first computers ran numerical software for defense applications.In the 70's, the advent of mainframe computers broadened the scope to include commercial applications.In parallel, large-scale circuit integration allowed exponential increases in computing power (Moore's law).In the 80's, the convergence between information technologies and telecommunications opened the way for the Internet, the Web and the Information Society.In the 90's, another very important, but less visible, revolution started with the dissemination of embedded systems technologies.More than 95% of the chips produced today are for embedded applications.These are electronic components integrating software and hardware jointly and specifically designed to provide given functionalities, which are often critical.They are hidden in devices, appliances and equipment of any kind: mobile phones, cameras, home appliances, cars, aircraft, trains, medical devices etc.In 2008, the average person used about 230 embedded chips every day: 80 chips in home appliances, 40 chips at work, 70 chips in cars, 40 chips in portable devices.In the near future, another anticipated, important landmark will be the advent of the Internet of Things as the result of the convergence between embedded technologies and the Internet.The idea is to use internet technologies to integrate services provided by hundreds of billions of embedded systems.This will require an upgrade of the internet infrastructure to make it more secure, safer and reactive.Current features for exchanging multimedia documents will be extended to encompass real-time monitoring and control.Systems are becoming ubiquitous: the state of almost everything can be sensed, measured and monitored; people and objects can communicate and interact in entirely new ways; intelligent systems allow enhanced predictability of events and optimal use of resources.It is hard to imagine what Computer Science will be in two decades.More than any other discipline, it is driven by applications and exponential progress in technology.The broadening of its perimeter is accompanied by a shift in focus from algorithms and programs to systems.