Embedding Ubiquitous Technologies
Susan A. Elwood · IGI Global eBooks · 2011
Since the onset of technology as a tool in our personal and professional lives, we’ve progressed through at least two waves or stages of computing. The concept of ubiquitous computing names the third wave of computing, still in its infancy stages. The first wave consisted of mainframe computers shared by numerous people. The majority of society is presently in the second wave of the personal computing era, where people and machines interact through a predominantly iconic environment. The third phase of computing, referred to as ubiquitous computing, or the age of calm technology, takes place when technology recedes into the background of our daily lives. Alan Kay of Apple calls this the “third paradigm” of computing, while Weiser coins it as the “third wave” of computing (Weiser, 1996).Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.