28 October 2005  

Friends of nFold,

Welcome to the first ever nFold Software Minute. Focusing on the lighter side of software matters for managers, this newsletter will be released every two weeks and should not take more than a minute to read. If you find it amusing, please share it with your friends and colleagues. To subscribe to this newsletter contact subs@nfold.com.

GRID COMPUTING: IS IT AN ISM OR IS IT AN ART?

This week, Oracle and ITWeb advertised an event aimed at discovering the wonders of grid computing. Have you ever tried to explain to a two year old screaming 'Mine!' at the top of his lungs that 'Barney says sharing is caring?'

Well grid computing is a bit like sharing your toys on the playground, only the idea is that you share idle time on your networked computers instead. 'Nice idea!' I hear you exclaim. 'Imagine if while I went for a cup of coffee, my computer could help to calculate the meaning of life the universe and everything?'

According to 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' the answer is 42. So why bother? Well I guess because you've already paid for the computer and maybe this will stop you buying another one? My immediate thought is: what's next? Why stop at sharing computing idle time? How about sharing available bandwidth or commuting with a friend?

I can see it in my mind's eye...all those empty cars driving from Johannesburg to Pretoria...filled with happy people doing the right thing for the planet rather than burning precious fossil fuels into the atmosphere. So the next time you drive to Pretoria and home alone, think on these things. And...smile!

Have a great weekend.
sandy@nfold.com