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Knowledge Builds on Knowledge, Part I

© Larry Williams

It seems that there are always new things to learn if you're a Network Administrator, or a person involved in technology in general. Technology is advancing so fast, that even the people involved in it are sometimes waking up to new things. For example, one of the next Big things is supposed to be XML (Extensible/Extended Markup Language). This language is supposed to replace HTML, or supplement it at first, then replace it-- if everything goes according to plan, and we all know the press is NEVER wrong. If you'll be using Microsoft Office 2000, then you can save your files in XML format and read it any browser or program that supports XML. Although, XML has just entered the public eye, it has been around for over 14 years and only recently has it made a splash.

This leads to a conclusion, that "The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same." This adage even applies to technology, if looked at closely. Here are 2 prime examples:

--CLIENT-SERVER COMPUTING VERSUS TERMINAL MAINFRAME COMPUTING--

Back in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, networks were run on mainframe computers. The clients were known as "dumb" terminals hooked up to mainframe computers, whose size can take up an entire room. Now, "dumb" terminals were just early versions of the PCs at the time, except the terminals totally relied on the mainframe for all processes-- the terminals didn't have a local hard disk or CPU like today's PCs. Then came the introduction of the Mac, DOS and eventually Windows PCs. (For the Mac Lovers-- yes, the Macintosh is considered a PC. PC stands for "Personal Computer", which a Mac is a category of. The acronym PC is usually associated with computers running DOS/Windows because when IBM made its foray into the Personal Computing Industry in the early 80s, they called it the "IBM PC", and that's how the label stuck.

In the late 80s and all of the 90s-- with the proliferation of Windows PCs-- the emphasize shifted to the Client-Server computing model. In this model, the client-- usually stocked with Windows as the OS and an Intel CPU-- performs some of the processes. The client still relies on a "server" for networked functions (file and printer sharing, etc.), but the client (a PC usually called a desktop or workstation) can also perform tasks on its own before calling on the network server.

The Client-Server model was a good idea because it allowed small and medium sized businesses to put together a network with purchasing proprieatary mainframe computers costing millions of dollars.