The Internet and consumer electronics

The Internet is the new infrastructure. It requires that we rethink the nature of devices. They no longer need be isolated. The cost of tapping into the global network is very low and the new capabilities are compelling. The designs need not be limited by what the device can do alone. We need to learn how to create such devices. What capabilities should be available locally and which can be shifted to a more sophisticated device such as a personal computer. How does a device maintain a relationship to the manufacturer? In order to take advantage of these opportunities we need simple and robust protocols. Unlike an isolated device where one manufacturer can take full responsibility for the devices' function, the new device can be affected by the misbehavior of other devices and must be resilient even when other devices fail. A device that cannot cooperate with other devices will be like the typewriter-a story for one's grandchildren. Like the days we used to multiply numbers by using a slide rule.