We often hear a reference to the ‘IT Pendulum’ but we should
forget the idea that it is an all or nothing fight between good and evil.
The first point, it’s definitely NOT an all or nothing fight. Each one of these technologies continues to
exist today.
The more interesting thing that happens to make each of
these relevant in their time is the abstraction and evolution pattern that
occurs.
Consider this pattern:
Mainframes becoming remotely administered. Central
-> Edge
Distributed computing replacing Remote Terminal (from
mainframes) Edge -> Edge
Client-Server replacing Distributed Computing Edge
-> Central
Cloud Computing replacing Client-Server Central
-> Central
Distributed Edge replacing Cloud Computing Central
-> Edge
The Pattern consists of computing at the edge or in a
central location. Nothing really magical
about that, but when a NEW technology comes in it’s almost always because we’ve
either abstracted complexity away from the solution OR an evolution step in
capability was enabled.
Take the case of Client-Server replacing Distributed
Computing. The effect was to move
computing to a central location, this made possible largely by a significant increase
in network bandwidth in the mid 1990s. An example of an evolution pattern.
Cloud computing replacing Client-Server happened through an abstraction
pattern. Virtualization of computing
systems allowed substantial recovery of compute investment. It is also making smaller abstractions possible,
think containers and serverless. (also supporting one of my favorite quotes, from Rick
Wilhelm @rickwilhelm, "Containers allow creation and destruction of
application environments without drama or remorse.")
Effectively making the next evolution transition possible,
moving workloads to the Distributed Edge, because … why should a programmer
care where the program runs.
So, the IT Pendulum is only a pendulum if you look at it in
two very myopic dimensions.
The fight between good and evil, it isn't. It's evolution.
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