[From the last episode: IoTThe Internet of Things. A broad term covering many different applications where "things" are interconnected through the internet. devices can work together with select other devices in a “walled gardenAn approach to the IoT that restricts which devices and brands you can have work together. It could protect you, help assure interoperability, keep out certain competitors, or any and all of the above.,” or, hopefully, with any other device if not in a walled garden.]
In an earlier post, we looked at the basic concept of “interoperation,” or “interopThis refers to how well different pieces of equipment can work together. Macs and PCs, for instance have some limited interop, but there are many Mac devices that can't work on a PC, and vice versa. This is an important notion for systems, like the IoT, that involve many different pieces of equipment working together..” Interop is a complex business. There are so many things that have to align for it to work – and absent all those things aligning, it won’t work. Of course, interop doesn’t have to be universal; some group of things may work together, but not work with other things, as we saw with walled gardens.
We see this with computers: Windows-oriented softwareIn this context, "software" refers to functions in an IoT device that are implemented by running instructions through some kind of processor. It's distinct from "hardware," where functions are built into a silicon chip or some other component. won’t typically work on a native Macintosh. In fact, the Mac’s ability to run Windows software (in emulationRefers to one kind of system that can behave as if it were another kind. A good example is a Macintosh, which, by itself, works very different from an Intel/Microsoft-based PC. But a Mac can pretend to be a PC by emulating how a PC works. mode) was put in place specifically to remove this objection from people that didn’t want a Mac due to incompatibility with Windows software.
Human interop
Let’s look at an analogous situation that can illustrate the many things that have to work: human communication through speech. Such speech also has many aspects that must align before it works.
- We can’t talk to plants because they don’t have ears. (Yes, I know some say that plants can understand English or other languages… I’m going to hold out for scientific evidence on that one.)
- We can talk to animals, but only certain ones, and only in a limited sense. Dogs and other pets can learn many words, as can some apes. But the richness of communication is nothing like that which can be enjoyed between humans – or possibly even between dogs. Here the speech-processing aspects of our respective brains are incompatible.
- Humans that can hear cannot communicate well with those that can’t hear unless they learn sign language. Here the specific mode of speech is incompatible: visual vs. auditory.
- Humans that can hear but that speak different languages cannot talk to each other. Deaf humans that use different sign-language versions might likewise not be able to understand each other.
- Humans that speak the same language, but come from very different places, may be able to understand much of what is said, but they might not understand – or might misinterpret – different words. “Pavement” in the US tends to refer to a road or path surface treatment; in England it refers to what we call a “sidewalk” in the US. A couple of sayings typify this. George Bernard Shaw is generally credited with saying, “The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.” And one colleague (unfortunately, I can’t remember who, and so can’t give proper credit) said, more or less, that British English and American English were two different languages that happen to share the same words – meaning that those words might be used differently in each language.
- Humans that speak the same language and have more or less the same vocabulary might still have a hard time understanding each other if they pronounce words different. The “tomato/tomahto” thing.
In other words, in order for us to communicate most effectively, we need to share the same physiological characteristics; share the same mode of communication; speak the same language; use words the same way; and pronounce words the same way.
Machine Interop Is Harder
This analogy breaks down a little bit because we’ve got these incredibly adaptable brains. So we can hear “tomahto” and realize that it’s remarkably similar to “tomato” and that it works in context, so we go with it. If this were machinesIn our context, a machine is anything that isn't human (or living). That includes electronic equipment like computers and phones. we were talking about, then, at least at this stage of technology, you don’t get that kind of flexibility; “tomahto” would not equal “tomato.” Everything must line up for interop to work. Machines have physical connectionsThis refers to some kind of electrical connection. It might be through a network cable, a cable connection, a wireless connection, or a phone - just to name some options. The connection might be to the internet or to some other local device., they have languages, they have syntax and semantics and context. It all has to match if it’s to work. When we dig into the technology a bit more in the future, we’ll see many of the requirements that must be met in order to achieve interop.
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