CSR - PDOS: Simplifying Administration in the Outsourced Home

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Technology is changing our lives in numerous and ever increasing ways. Even a simple modern house contains wired and wireless networks, dedicated devices (such as TV set-top boxes and game consoles), multi-media displays, mobile devices, and traditional computers. Unfortunately, managing this technology is a challenge to all but the most sophisticated users, and as a result, users are increasingly overwhelmed with the administration, integration, and security management of their home infrastructure. This work simplifies the operation and management of home-based technology, through a new architecture that provides users with simple, powerful, and safe mechanisms for executing programs and storing data. The high-level concept is to support the outsourcing of a large portion of home computing and data management to third parties. The project examines mechanisms that allow third party operators to manage, back-up, upgrade, and diagnose/repair the applications and data resident within the home. As well, the project examines an in-home architecture in which applications and data are hosted off of a powerful server, enabling users are able to access their applications and data from a variety of devices, using a combination of new search mechanisms and thin-client techniques. Overall, the project makes home computing as easy to use as other home infrastructure, such as heating or security systems that just work in an invisible and natural way. In the long run, the existance of PCs as we know them will disappear and be replaced by appliances that are easily operated by children and adults alike.