1. Research Issues in Adapting Computing to Small Devices
Research Issues in Adapting Computing to Small Devices
Francis C.M. Lau
Department of Computer Science
The University of Hong Kong
APPT • Hong Kong

2. Popular Computing 70’s: one computer, many users
80’s: one computer, one user
90’s: many (connected) computers, many users – distributed computing
Now: many computers, one user
What next? Ubiquitous computing? Grid computing? Service-oriented computing? …
Do we need that many computers?
Do we need a “computer”?
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3. Windows Panic Continue or quit or kill the window or details?
How would my mother know!?
The best computing is without the computer
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4. Imagine … APPT 2015 APPT 2015 (Disneyland, Hong Kong) …
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5. My Future Handheld
All in one: phone, PDA, wallet, game console, remote terminal, ad-hoc networking …
That means a lot of software – big and fat!?
But what I really want is lean and thin and mean
Lean – simple software which does only what I want
Thin – that’s all the space in my pocket, or around my neck!
Mean – affordable
LTM
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6. LTM Computing
The (thin-) client-server paradigm, works but in limited ways
Too thin: a browser-only device, a remote terminal …
Future devices are more powerful than just that
But how powerful is powerful?
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7. O my god! Software complexity APPT 05 (27/10/05, HK)
Ravi Subramanian, 3G Spells Deconstruction for the Wireless Industry, IEEE CommSoc SCV, 1999
Subramanian, 1999
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8. The Network is the Computer ™
Rich Computing
My hard disk and VM can be as big as the Internet
Not just contents, but software come and go on demand
Pay-per-use subscription model
Browser plug-in’s and Java applets – not lean enough, and some require just too much resources
Software in terms of “functionalities”
The Network is the Computer ™
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9. The Network Behind Every Device
Future digicams
Snap and go
The network is the memory
The network is the photo album
(The network is NOT the power)
Context aware
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10. Edge Computing Person .. device .. middleware (proxies) .. Internet
The abstract cloud moves with the client – personalized “cuddleware”, nomadic computing
Internet
proxies united
metropolis
client
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11. The continuum: WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WHERE?
GRID
EDGE
DEVICE
The continuum: WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WHERE?
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12. A Continuum
Your device .. other devices (peers) in the vicinity .. server(s) nearby .. the grid
“Neighborhood” is still important
network bandwidth can’t be infinite; latency will never be 0; network will never be trouble-free
What should be done where?
The end-device: completely passive (HAS) to completely active (DIY)
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13. “Hire a Server” Completely passive (remote terminal)
A waste of bandwidth
Responsiveness and interactivity (esp. for games)
Does it make sense?
MP3, camera, PDA, …
Something must be done locally
Adaptation
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14. Limits You Can’t Beat Power?
Screen size: foldable, rollable, wearable, projectable? Or do without the screen (audible?)
Convenience and privacy; and power consumption
Resolution helps a little bit
Why I don’t use a PDA (I just ordered an 24” LCD; but I still look at my watch)
Ergonomics is very important
Scrolling is a nuisance (now)
User experience!
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15. Wearable Computers
server
display
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16. Adaptation Data Content UI Code = not code A special kind of data
Text, paged, non-text
Pixel level and/or higher UI
Higher level, structural, interactive
Buttons, icons, menus, panels and panes …
 content
Code
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17. Componentized Software
Executable code as puzzle pieces
Fast start, like contents
Software download pipelining – first-come-first-execute, the most needed functionalities first
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18. The Need for Code On Demand
How many functions have you ever used?
A simplified view of Microsoft Word
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19. Remember UNIX? Small is beautiful Make each program do one thing well
Choose portability over efficiency
Store data in flat ASCII files
Avoid captive user interfaces
Make every program a filter …
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20. UNIX Philosophy Applied
Small software components implementing single functionalities
Bigger functions runtime-composable from small components
Download on demand, and disposable
Standard formats and interfaces (eg. XML)
Shared GUI
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21. Service-Oriented Computing
Can Web Services Scale Down? - for small device apps
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22. Adapting X to Y Many issues Context awareness Psychology Aesthetics
Readability, convenience, privacy …
Economics
Context awareness
Because small devices are likely mobile
The user moves around
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23. Awareness and Adaptation
An intelligent supporting architecture
Aware of the come and go of mobile users
Choices of functions, depending on situation: the location, the device, the user, …
Fast reacting nearby proxy
Proxies united, within certain locality
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24. Summary 1: Basic Problems (I think) Worth Pursuing
Edge computing → “seamless”
New protocols for the edge
The continuum → the network is the computer
Collaborative models and mechanisms, esp. at the edge
The global grid → invisible, “PC” disappearing
The device
Adaptation
On-demand code composition
The SOC approach?
Content
HTML
UI description languages
New paradigms for user interaction in small devices (input and output)
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25. Some HKU Projects The Sparkle Project – “code adaptation”
PDF document content adaptation system – “content adaptation”
HTML adaptation – “UI/content adaptation”
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26. Sparkle Application = “facet” composition Mobile code on demand
Proxy to device, device to device
Features
Code On Demand
Context Based Adaptation
Proxy Caching on Code
Code & State Migration
Ontology
Sparkle View & Universal Browser
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27. Universal Browser APPT 05 (27/10/05, HK) Time (ms) 500 1000 1500 2000
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
Time (ms)
Add Noise
Add
Shadow
Find
Edges
Flip
Horizontal
Vertical
Gaussian
Blur
Open
Image
Save as
Jpeg
Sharpen
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28. PDF Document Adaptation
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32. Web Document Adaptation
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33. Only the bottom level is “compressed”
The original content
Only the bottom level is “compressed”
(c) The two lowest levels are “compressed”
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34. Handling Segments
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35. Summary 2: When I Grow Older
I want a simpler life (others can enjoy all the complexities)
One device, LTM
No computer please; terminal is fine; plug and play
Single data storage by hire, access anywhere
Single sign-on, single environment (adaptive)
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