Paper #: Paper from Lecture 20 (3/17/2005) Further Reading
Title: "Research Issues in Ubiquitous Computing" by Alan J. Demers

PROBLEM
In 1994, when this paper was created, the idea of ubiquitous computing was in the
early stages.  The idea was for computers to disappear into the background.  In
addition, in order to plan for the future, the people at Xerox PARC wanted
Integrated Chips(ICs) to be powerful enough to be a network computer in order to
make the idea of ubiquitous computing possible.  At the time, the following
challenges existed: wireless communication, handling disconnectivity, location
discovery, and power.  Today, vast improvements have occurred in all of the
mentioned challenges except for power with respect to mobile devices.

NEW IDEAS AND STRENGTHS
*Xerox PARC was an innovator with respect to ubiquitous computing and even deployed
the Active Badge that was created in Olivetti labs.  While recognizing that this
information may be used in future applications, they were also able to recognize the
security problems.
*The author gave a good point about wireless communication selection.  While
comparing radios that are short range vs. long range communication (similar to
today's bluetooth vs. wireless LAN), he noticed that bandwidth density was greater
for the short range.
*The author gave a good point about battery life and was years ahead with the idea
of processors varying speed and operating systems being mindful of power resources.
He was describing today's Intel Centrino architecture and the power management that
we have on today's laptops.

WEAKNESSES AND EXTENSIONS
*A possible extension, which is still being researched today, is how to implement
active badges without compromising the privacy of individuals.
*Battery life is still a problem today just as it was in 1994.  Therefore, research
needs to continue in this area.