Limitations

							                                                       What are computers bad at ?
                                                           The disadvantages of IT
Limitations                                     Over Reliance
• Processing Speed                              • Some analysts feel that society too reliant
• Data models                                   on (IT) technology
• Data Control/processing                       – Loss of traditional skills
• Communications speed/capacity                 – Loss of social skills
• Over reliance on technology                   – Severe consequences of failure
• Inappropriate usage                           – Lack of control of systems
Processing speed                                – Loss of privacy
• Some problems require speeds well             – Social divisions - info rich vs info poor
beyond today’s limits.                          Inappropriate Usage
        – Real time realistic 3D rendering      • Sometimes IT is not the solution to a
        – Audio editing and effects             problem
        – High energy physics simulations       • For some tasks IT use can be
        – Weather analysis                              – more expensive
        – Object recognition                            – take longer
Data Models                                             – be less accurate
• Computers rely on equations (data             • N.B. even if this is the case we sometimes
models)                                         use IT to improve the quality of work/life for
• Not all problems have been solved             people
• Some mathematical problems particularly       The Future
difficult                                       • Development of new technologies
        – ‘travelling salesman’                         – Artificial Intelligence
        – Air flow on aircraft                          – Nano technology
        – Nuclear reactions                             – Ultra high speed computers
Data Models 2                                           – High speed wireless networks
• Many systems very complex                             – ‘Enhanced’ humans
• Weather forecasting                           • Will bring new uses (and problems) - many
• Realistic simulation of human movement        not yet thought of.
• Nuclear reactions
• Biochemical systems
– Even if processing speeds increase poor
modelling will hinder further progress

Data Control/Programming
• Large scale systems difficult to program
• New systems always have bugs
• Sometimes volume of data overwhelms
system - information overload
• Research drive is towards
• self repairing programs ;
• new algorithms to deal with large data
sources;
• Intelligent computing
Communications speed/capacity
• Internet has brought new difficulties
        – Bandwidth very important
• World Wide Web slow for even simple
tasks
        – Video, audio files are large - need
        much higher speeds (bit rates)
• Development stalled until ‘Broadband’ in
place




                                                                               FM AGS 2002