INNOVATION AND OBSTACLES - THE FUTURE OF COMPUTING

In this multidisciplinary glimpse forward, some of this decade's key p layers offer opinions on a range of topics, form what has driven progr ess, to where innovation will come from and to obstacles we have yet t o overcome. In this excerpt from ''Visions for the Future of the Field s'', a panel discussion held at the 10th anniversary of the US Compute r Science and Telecommunications Board, experts identify critical issu es for various aspects of computing. In the accompanying sidebars, som e of the same experts elaborate on points in the panel discussion in m ini-essays: David Clark, CSTB chairman, looks at the changes needed, a s computing science research comes of age. The current context of comp uter science, Clark states, is shaped by pst successes and chronic tro uble spots. Mary Shaw, Carnegie Mellon University, examines challenges for software system designers. Shaw states that disintermediation, th e direct connection of users and their software, has created new probl ems for software system designers. Robert Lucky, Bellcore, looks at IP dial tone, a new infrastructure for the Internet. Lucky states that d ata traffic will soon eclipse voice traffic, portending not just a rev olution in technology but in the very basis of telecommunication econo mics. Donald Greenberg, Cornell University, rounds out the essays with an outlook on computer graphics. Greenberg states that by 2025 we wil l have the technology to produce realistic real-time images at resolut ions up to or beyond the limits of our visual perception. Finally, in an interview with William Wulf, president of the US National Academy o f Engineering, Computer explores the roots of innovation and the broad er societal aspects that will ultimately drive innovation in the near term.