Image by MJ/TR (´?ω?) via Flickr
Cluster computing has become a part of our lives primarily because we demand high speed high performance from our computers. What we do with the speed is a completely different question.
There is global emphasis on improving the speed of internet and broadband internet is considered one of the parameters that decide whether a country is technologically advanced or not. However, what is the use of establishing broadband computing all over the world if it is going to be used for downloading junk?
To treat high speed internet as a holy grail and to believe that high speed computing is the right of each and every individual is going to work out very unproductive in the long run. For starters, there are certain activities which do not require high speed computing. Let us take the example of functioning of a word processor. We do not need a supercomputer to run such a software program, right?
There may come a time when computing speed and internet speed will have to be rationalized because of the immense resources that are being consumed on research and development. The fact that everything is virtual means that the huge wastage of resources is not seen. On the other hand, you would not buy a miniature rocket for your child to travel to school, right?
Yet, you do not think twice about setting up a high speed broadband internet connection at a significant cost in your house. Nobody questions the reasoning behind such a decision. High speed internet and computers are fun to use but this need not be a good enough reason to go in for such devices.
