VIEWS Of PROF MGK MENON
The digital divide the topic I have taken is because I do believe very strongly that we cannot continue in this world with inequality as it exists. We are familiar of course with the concepts of rich and poor, the rich and poor nations, the developed nations, the developing nations, and not only nations, but societies within the countries. We have been talking about 300 millions of people who are below the poverty line. Therefore we are familiar with that concept which is often referred to as the economic divide. These distinctions that arise in societies because of economic considerations , buying power. What is most important of course is when it takes you to a level of deprivations which constitutes social injustice. And in all the development decades that the United Nations has been dealing with it is constantly talking about reducing this divide. Now we come across another phrase which is the digital divide. How has this come about? What is it represent? How is it manifested? we had a brilliant discussion and variety of papers in the field of biotechnology rapidly advancing. We have got to the determination of the human genome and all the areas of gene therapy of cancer of what we are doing in this country vaccines and so on. It is a rapidly advancing field. I would like to point out that this is exactly what happened it is almost unparallel with what happened in the field of Information Technology.
LOOKING BACK ON IT REVOLUTION
1947 - the transistor was invented. transistor was invented in the Bell labs by Braden - 1959 the integrated circuit was invented by Noise and Killbe. Noise had died. The Nobel prize was given to Jack killbe for this path breaking discovery to change the whole phase of the society. Thereafter we went along to a whole succession of developments in microelectronics through small scale, medium scale large scale and very large scale integrated circuits. Following of course one of the very stable laws which we never find in economics. The Moores law which is that every 15-18 months the price of the device halves and its functional capability doubles. This is never happened in economics ever. Not only the fact that one is reversing the trend through technology and this is what we scientists appreciate and understand that science and technology can do that. Also the fact that it can continue to do that .What we have to keep in mind as far as India is concerned is the rapidity of change. Now I quickly move along.
MAJOR EVENTS IN COMPUTING
In 1971 a far major event that took place - email - invention of the email, the invention of the microprocessor, Microsoft set up by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the floppy disk by IBM, all this took place then 30 years ago. But I think we also have to remember that even though there are elements that come on the scene like in any biological system there has to be an organism in which interaction and in which all the parts of it functions together in a synergetic manner. That awaited. That is why the digital revolution really speaking is of the last decade. Soon after all of this one had the internet which was a networking system of enormous importance. I wont go into the details of internet and internet protocol which made it. But one of the most powerful areas developed and incidental fashion that is why science is important was the web- the www. And it was invented by a single man working at the laboratories in Geneva- the high energy Physics laboratory where people are concerned with accelerating particles , extraordinary energies , their collisions millions of these which take place variety of types of detectors, bubble chambers . park chambers, and everything else . All these were happening in various computers. How do you relate all these. That is when the web browser was invented.
FALLOUT OF SCIENCE
Science has many fallouts. High energy physics working on the structure of matter, sub nuclear levels, elementary particles, and therefore the need for competition. Masses of data therefore the invention of the web browser. In the 90 s we have totally changed situation with regard to the use of the internet not by the elite intelligentia but by all and sundry. That is what I am really saying that technology can meet these transformations. Science leads very often to technology directly or indirectly. These are the elements of the digital revolution. Microelectronics, computers, internet, the web . But the internet and the web depend on the fact that you connect computers. There are aspects relating to communication systems. One of the great things that has happened is the fact that communication systems move from analogue to digital. Therefore it is possible for them to speak the same language , the computer and the communication system. Therefore one had the possibility of networking access . Further that has happened in the communication area that instead of fixed systems one has moved to mobile systems. Mobility has been provided in a variety of ways, historically through the satellite regimes, but over the last decade with mobile telephony and cell phones. Not only with local coverage but in a way in which you can have protocols connecting to anywhere in the world. Therefore you had the greatest growth which is taking place in telephony not in fixed line systems but in the mobile systems. As a result of which you have information, it is stored on computers, computer on computers, but not necessarily on the same computer. They can be moved around the world these bits of information from any computer to any computer downloaded entered as you like. That is why it has become an all pervasive enabling technology which is of a type different form any sectoral technology. It is all pervasive. And frankly speaking I have always said that one always feel that there is an avalanche coming down increasing speed accelerating massive of snow increasingly. In general this is a revolution not of science any longer , science has constantly feeding it, technology which is being developed which is feeding it but all of us are part of it. Every single user of IT is a part of it. Part of the whole network. Internet if you ask me does not belong to a company, a nation, like the air we breathe there is a commonality about it which has brought us together.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
I would like to say that there is a further development that has taken place and whose impact we still haven't seen - that is as communication went digital, broadcasting is now moving to digital which enable therefore that totality of it to come together. As it stands today with your standard television set with its set top boxes you can use it for any purpose. Somebody asked me what is difference between a television screen and a computer screen. What is the difference when you look at it? They are both screens they both contain data and images and everything else. Therefore really speaking the most powerful thing that is taking place is the need for the holistic approach which brings computations communications broadcasting together. But what are these are in aid of ? It is in aid of information and finally knowledge which can be made use of. That is content. I mentioned some of this as preambles because they are relevant to the digital divide.
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
As I said that there is today is a digital divide. What is that mean? I mentioned about all the sectors that is computers particularly the PCs , telephony communication systems mobile telephony the whole area of space of course, we have a big space programme - all of these represent the manifestations of the digital revolution. But what we now find is that there is a high degree of disparity and I wont give you too many numbers.
If you just compare the statistics
(INDIA:USA), Number of PCs the ratio is (3:450),Telephones(1.5: 64),ISPs (1: 1000), Internet Users( 3: 37000), that is the gap.
Therefore we have to have devices which go over to voice systems. And India's tradition has been oral transmission of knowledge on a very significant basis. Therefore voice systems have enormous power if properly developed. So you can make it user friendly. All of that I have been saying really relates to having something which is finally accessible affordable to large masses, user friendly, and covers the holistic nature of information technology. This demands a lot of scientific research. A great deal of technology and commercialisation we have a large enough population a 1000 million in this country . A large enough market to make all that worthwhile. All that it requires is dynamism the will and commitment on the part of all assembled here. I hope that the message has come through.
Courtesy: Gyandarshan
