Reading through Peter Denning’s “Great Principles of Computing”, gives one a sense of the fundamental building blocks that build up Computer Science. Capturing the basics of what it means to compute, and what can be computed. The following paper attempts to extend this role out into the realm of mobile computing, using Denning’s paper as a base; it will cover the fundamentals of what it means to be within the scope of mobile computing.

To be a principle, Denning says that the principle must be 1) universal, 2) recurrent and 3) broadly influential. According to Wikipedia mobile computing “is a generic term describing one’s ability to use technology “untethered”(sic)”. Using these two criteria, the categories of principles are as follows in no particular order, Computation, Communication, Coordination, Recollection, Evaluation, Design, Mobility, and Durability. While there is much overlap to the work of Peter Denning, there are enough distinctions to warrant this discussion.

Computation:

Computation is the heart of computer science, as it is the method by which all work is done on a computer. When applied to mobile technology, this principle looks less at how much can be computed and more at the side effects of intensive computations. Intensive computations require larger faster processers; however these are not ideal for the mobile environment. A processer like this will suck battery life, and run hot. Both of these side effects are undesirable. Side effects such as these need to be taken into account in the mobile environment. Therefore in the computation principle, we look at the effects of computation on the other aspects of the environment.

Communication:

Communication is perhaps one of the most important principles in mobile computing. Communication here refers to three main categories; computer to computer, computer to person, and person to person. Computer to computer refers to the communication between two computers, for example when a GPS unit talks with satellites to determine its location. Computer to person, (or person to computer) this type of communication includes activities such as user input and device feedback. The last category is person to person communication, this includes activities such as text messaging or phone conversations. When you make the jump to mobile computing the field of communication becomes more difficult, as in order to remain “untethered(sic)” all communication relies more heavily on wireless and other newer technologies.

Coordination:

The wide open world can be a scattered and disorganized place, so lest it become lost in the fray, mobile computing needs an organization. Much like the ducks need their flying V, mobile computers need to have standards of communication, and actions. Without these standards of coordination, interference would make mobile computing impossible.

Recollection:

As discussed earlier in the section on computation, recollection is one of the main principles that can be brought straight over, with only a few minor stipulations. In generic computing there is a cost to speed hierarchy. When this is ported to mobile technology, the hierarchy changes to a size or weight, to speed hierarchy. Other than that this principle comes straight from Denning’s.

Evaluation:

Just as in the early 1900’s when we were building a network of telephones, and planning on expanding that network into the future, we are building a network now. Not just of mobile telephones, but of data as well. This system must be evaluated and optimized now just as it did then. Mobile computers rely heavily on networks, and interdependence. Therefore it makes sense that evaluation of the network is of primary importance. Take for example the vast network of smart phones, each day trillions of packets are sent and received with this kind of strain on the cell towers, evaluation is a practically necessity.

Design:

When discussing the design for mobile technology, it is important to note the difference in tactics. The emphasis changes from reusability and readability to functionality and space. Oftentimes when you code for an embedded system, such as a cell phone all object oriented coding is lost. This has a dramatic impact on design. This changes the focus almost entirely from that of the design of generic computing.

Mobility:

Mobility in mobile computing seems fairly straight forward as far as principles go, if the computer isn’t mobile then it can hardly fit into this category. According to dictionary.com mobile is defined as “capable of moving or being moved readily.” So the main factors that allow a computer to become mobile are weight, size, and battery life. These three things all have dramatic effects on the other principles. Take for example user inputs; they had to be designed specially to meet mobility standards. At first they just shrank mice and keyboards to make them more compact, that has evolved into today’s more mobile touch screens and smart phone interfaces. As another example of mobility is the advances in wireless communication that we have made in the recent past. These advances are astounding, going from almost no inter-computer communication, to being able to connect to almost any computer in the world from anywhere.

Durability:

How many times have you been walking down the road and you accidentally dropped your cell phone? If this has ever happened to you, you know the reason why durability is a principle of great computing. This extends beyond just physical damage; it also must include things such as environmental factors. Take for example the GPS units that they mount in cars, they have to be able to withstand heats from extreme highs to extreme lows.

These are the principles of mobile computing as I see them. There are many more, and many more examples for each, however I feel as though I have given a good description of each. Hopefully this guide can be used as a spring board into studying more into the field of mobile computing.