T171 ECA - WYSIWYG and TCP/IP their similarities and differences and future
WYSIWYG and TCP/IP
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) are not similar in themselves, however where they are similar is the way in which they have enabled development and use of computers, networks and of course of the Internet.
WYSIWYG and its associated GUI (Graphical User Interface) opened up the world of computing for the masses in that people no longer needed to learn the CLI (Command Line Interface) commands but could run and control programs using the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer) interface i.e. using the mouse. This meant many people who were dubious of using a computer were converted to users due to the simplicity and intuitiveness of the interface, of course there are still people who do not want to use computers today. This simplicity of use lead an increase of mainly business users but some home users as well, demand for services such as e-mail and sharing of information grew and the Internet was able to handle the demand and connectivity due to the TCP/IP protocol as the underlying transport medium.
The WYSIWYG GUI of the Xerox Star [1]
TCP/IP was developed because the original protocol NCP(Network Control Protocol) was struggling to cope as more nodes were added to the APRANET. TCP/IP allowed many computers to be linked even those running different operating systems, providing each computer was running TCP/IP it could share data with any other running TCP/IP regardless of platform. TCP/IP's subnetting capabilities also allowed for the connection of networks to each other, a network of networks which eventually lead to The Network of Networks - The Internet.
The Future of WYSIWYG
There will be more WYSIWYG word processors, graphic packages and HTML editors it is and will continue be used by publishers. Note most HTML editors are not true WYSIWYG since the user is able to create the page then go into code to make slight adjustments.
The future of WYSIWYG on the Net is probably going to be through increased use of PDF (Portable Document Files). PDF editors are invariably WYSIWYG such as Adobe Acrobat. PDF files have many advantages over HTML since they are capable of retaining the original format of the document i.e. fonts, typography, layout and vector graphics. HTML cannot handle vector graphics, these having to be converted to gif or jpg files before inclusion in a document, PDF files are able handle vector graphics without the need for conversion. A comparison of HTML and PDF follows:
Fig 1 Comparison of HTML and PDF documents [2]
The Future of TCP/IP
The current version of the TCP/IP protocol is version 4. In 1995 RFC-1752 was released and now has the status of draft standard, this is referred to as IP version 6 or IPNG (Internet Protocol Next Generation). The current IP 4 uses 32bit addressing and because of the explosion in Internet use the IP address allocation is expected to run out in the not to distant future. IPNG uses 128bit addressing and that should allow for 665,570,793,348,866,943,895,599 addresses per square metre of the Earths surface, probably future proof enough. IPNG is also backward compatible with IP v4.
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Unlike the changeover to TCP/IP in 1983, the number of Internet users today is far to great to achieve anything link a painless changeover to a new addressing scheme, so backwards compatibility is a must. [3] |
Both WYSIWYG and TCP/IP are going to be with us for the foreseeable future and will over time be developed and enhanced further.
Credits
[1] Downloaded from http://pla-netx.com/linebackn/guis/guitimeline.html 30-Oct -2001
[2] Downloaded from www.performancegraphics.com 30-Oct-2001
[3] Internet Protocol - Computer Shopper Magazine - Oct 2001 issue
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Further Resources