The visions of Innovatic for the future IT (Information Technology) world looks quite different from other companies. To us the keyword is efficiency - not just higher speed and bigger memory. In fact we consider most of the modern IT world as being unnecessary complicated and clumsy and without visions for the future.

The modern IT world is based on some standard solutions and methods, which nobody dare to call in question, and on "fast" solutions created in a hectic race between vendors. The combination of an inefficient system architecture and todays very inefficient programming methods, which counteracts the computer architecture and generate huge, slow executing programs, has created a newer ending demand for more and more memory and computer power. This has lead to extremely complicated, expensive and power consuming solutions and a constant demand for upgrading. It may make a good profit in the IT and semiconductor industry, but the consumer pays the price of the unnecessary complicated technology!

A minimum PC system, which is able to run todays operating systems and applications, cost at least 500 $, which is too expencive for many children and young ones under education, and it gets obsolete very fast. This makes it e.g. difficult to fully integrate the IT technology in the schools and it splits up the children in an A and a B team - the ones who can afford to be a part of the modern IT world and the ones who can't and are left behind.

Today we are used to operating systems being something, which:

• Fills from several hundred Mbytes to over a gigabyte.

• Requires a huge amound of RAM for virtually nothing - usually at least 128 Mbytes just for showing a few windows on the screen.

• Is supplied with a huge amount of primitive utility programs, but cannot even perform the most elementary functions of an operating system like an efficient allocation of system resources (CPU, memory, disk etc.) to more programs at the same time (multitasking).

• Has no mutual program protection, so that any program can destroy other programs, delete and disclose data, add virus and spyware etc.

• Demands expert assistance for installation and configuration.

• Goes down now and then.

• Cannot be updated to a new version without a total reformatation of the harddisk.

• Communicates with us by means of cryptical and meaningless commands and error messages, and questions, which even the best experts has no chance of answering.

• Do not allow a safety backup of the total system including the operating system itself.

• Cannot accept a power failure or that the power is just switched off.

• Allows e.g. a CD-ROM to install anything on our harddisk - without asking the user first!

• Makes it impossible to make an efficient virus and spyware protection because it cannot accept a write protection of the harddisk or do not run each program in its own "sandbox".

• Requires that all programs has to be installed - not just copied - so that it is impossible to copy programs from one computer to another.

• Makes it impossible to remove a program completely once it is installed.

• Is degenerated during normal use and every time a program is installed or removed so that everything has to be reinstalled from time to time to get acceptable respons times and a reliable operation.

• Allows the installation of one program to destoy the operation of other programs in the computer.

The latter 4 points are caused by a huge an fragile, but completely unnecessary registration data base in combination with the so called DLL-hell (DLL files from completely different programs and vendors are stored in the same place (system library)). A simple act as to try a new program is therefore a high risc matter, which courses a permanent degeneration of the system performance!

Even the installation and uninstallation programs themselves may cause trouble. They usually requires a huge amount of temporary storage to unpack even small programs (which could easily be stored in non packed version), and they usually do not orderly tidy up after themselfs so that several Mbytes may be left behind, which the ordinaly user has no chance of removing.

We have learned, that the computer controls us and not the other way around and that we are just left alone with the pain when something goes wrong in e.g. the registration data base or in the Plug-and-Play (read Plug-and-Pray) system during installation. We should not expect to be able to get any help from the dealer or even from any support department.

We live in a constant fear of having our computer or data destroyed by e.g. virusses or overtaken by hackers. Just a simple act as to read a homepage (with Java-applets or ActiveX objects) or open an e-mail attachment is a high risc matter on the PC. Suppose our radio, TV-set, telephone or telefax was made that foolish so that they could be destroyed just by tuning in on a wrong channel or receiving a spiteful call!

We have learned to live with noisy fans, which puts us under stress and irritates us, but which are necessary because of a very high power consumption coursed by a much too complicated and inefficient software and processor architecture, which among other things do not adapt the clock frequency to the actual demands. This also means that it is inexpedient to let the computer work around the clock so that it may also be used for e.g. IP-telephone, telephone dialer, telefax, answering machine and alarm system.

We struggle with an inefficient keyboard and inconvenient use of the mouse, which causes a low working efficiency and may cause synovial sheath inflamations and mouse injuries.

We accept that even so called multimedia PC's are not compatible with the european TV standard (PAL) and has no connector (like SCART/EURO-AV) for easy connection to a TV-set or a video recorder.

We constantly has to insert and remove the telephone line connection to the modem to prevent the computer from being destroyed by lightning transients during thunderweather. Although an efficient protection could be made for 1-2 $ there is no such protection on the PC and the motherboard is usually made so foolish that transients has to pass (and destroy) most of the board to get to ground.

All these points are clear signs that the present PC and IT technology is beginning to break down under its own weight! Non of these points would have been accepted in the childhood of the computer, but today we think that it cannot be in another way!

As an inventor company we do not just criticise todays standards without suggesting alternative solutions, which live up to our goal, that is, solutions, which are both simple and untraditional and with a minimum use of resources, but at the same time extremely efficient and functional. This is the same way as the whole nature is build!

The Lightweight,
but powerful
Innovatic Alternative

Our visions for a new IT world is based on a suggestion for a new microprocessor architecture with an extremely high code density (see: [Microprocessor]) in combination with a new, simple, object oriented language - B# - with a much higher efficiency and code density than traditional object oriented programming (see [Programming]). Together, the two parts gives a code size in the order of 10 times less than today's PC systems. This open up completely new possibilities for a new, lightweight computer world.

Instead of heavy stationary computers or laptop computers, the computer power in a mobile phone with flashdisk will be enough for ordinary people and school children, who only wants to surf the Internet, use e-mail, write letters etc.! The mobile phone just needs a connection to a power supply, a keyboard, a mouse and a screen. By means of a standardized plug, such connections could be available in schools, aeroplanes and a lot of public places. Connection to the Internet, printers, DVD-drives etc. may be also be done through the plug (Ethernet) or by means of WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

Future IT World

At Innovatic we see the future IT world as a 5 layer model:

• Small embedded microprocessors in e.g. wash machines, smart cards etc.

  In this segment the price is a primary concern and therefore a small 8-bit single chip version of the processor will probably be the best choise. A very high code density is a must because the memory size in a single chip processor is very limited, but also because the memory part of a single chip processor occupies most of the chip area so that the price to some extend is invers proportional to the code density.

  The simple and easy to learn, yet powerful 8-bit instruction set is a great advantage as many applications in this segment are programmed in assembler for maximum efficiency and lowest possible cost.

  The operating system is a small - partly hardware based - real time kernel (RTOS) (see [Microprocessor][Task schedule]).

• More demanding embedded applications in e.g. settop boxes, engine and vehicle control, weight scales etc.

  In this segment it is important with very powerful digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities so a 16 or 32 bit version will be used. The Innovatic microprocessor architecture has a DSP performance very close to dedicated DSP's - especial if Harvard architecture is used where the processor is able to fetch data and filter quotients simultaneously and fully utilize any memory pipelines. Unlike most other processors, the DSP functions is an integrated part of the instruction set and may be used together with the vector processing capabilities for even higher performance.

  A high code density is also very important in this segment because all programs are typical housed in a rather expensive Flash memory.

  The operating system is the same as in the first case.

• Small, low cost PC's build into a mobile phone.

  Also in this segment the price is a primary concern. The Innovatic suggestion for this segment is an entirely flashdisk based 32-bit computer. The Innovatic microprocessor architecture is especially designed for high performance even with cache-less operation or operation with a very simple cache. This is also very important for keeping the price and power consumption as low as possible since fast cache memories are very expensive and power consuming.

  An important feature of the Innovatic microprocessor is the ability to adapt the clock speed to the actual demands. This together with the simple architecture reduces the power consumption to a minimum, which is extremely important for a computer in a mobile phone.

  Today, it is also possible to read e-mails by means of a mobile phone, but if you do that and also has a stationary PC, some e-mails will be saved in the mobile phone and some in the stationary PC so that it becomes difficult to follow a correspondence.

  The core of the operating system is the same as in the embedded cases, but with an added file system, a text based BIOS/DOS system and a graphical Windows like user interface.

  The mobile phone computer replaces both palmtop computers and laptop computers. Instead of plugging a GSM card into a laptop computer, as it is done today, the mobile phone with computer is plugged into a screen/keyboard assembly.

• Office PC's and stationary PC's.

  The computer now has its own enclosure with slots for harddisk, CD/DVD-drive, network cards etc. These drives and cards are connected to a new type of hot-swap backplane bus (see: [Backplane Bus]). Drives and cards are added from the front just by sliding them into an empty slot with the wanted drive letter (A-Z). Unlike today's PC's where the drives are connected by means of flat cables it is not necessary to open the enclosure, and there is no internal "spaghetti" of flat cables to limit the air flow for cooling!

  Because of the low power consumption the computer may be cooled by means of heat conduction and natural convection. The absence of cooling fans makes the PC completely noise-free (except for rotating drives) - a beautiful feeling compared to today's pc's - and together with the low power consumption it becomes posible for the PC to work around the clock and be used for e.g. IP-telephones, telephone answering machine, telefax, alarm system, controller for heat and ventilation etc. - applications, which are not possible with today's complicated and power consuming PC technology.

• Work stations and servers.

  This is the most demanding segment and a fast 64 bit version is the right choise. A 64-bit version fetches 8 instructions at a time so that the overhead for fetching instructions is very low. It also gives the best utilization of the powerful vector processing capabilities of the Innovatic architecture as it is able to process 4 16-bit values or 2 32-bit values at a time. Because of the often very big data sizes used in e.g. computer simulation, 3D-graphics and high resolution image processing it is very important that the processor is not stalled too much by a cache-miss since the data size is usually much too big to be housed in a cache. The Innovatic architecture is especially designed for this - unlike any other fast processor today, which depend 100 % on a very fast cache!

In the Innovatic IT world all 3 PC levels will have the following new features:

• A very simple user interface. A PC is often operated by people without any knowledge about computers. Therefore, it is very important that the operation is as simple - or preferable even simpler - than a remote control for a TV-set. A PC should of course not ask "strange" questions about DLL files etc., which even experts has no change of answering!

• A 100 % protection against viruses, hacker attacks etc. by means of a partly hardware based "sandcase" technology and possibility for write protection of vital parts like CMOS- and screen setup, BIOS etc. In this way, the PC may be constantly connected to the Internet and have a fixed IP address without any risk for hacker attacks, and one could surf and test programs without any risc of getting the system destroyed. Unlike the present PC world it should of course not be necessary to add a fire-wall to patch up bad programming and close the safety holes!

• A new, efficient (Kanstrup) keyboard (see: [Keyboard])

• A much better use of the mouse with selection stack and zoom and pan functions (see: [Mouse]).

• A graphical system where the graphical controller writes to the main memory instead of the video-RAM. In this way, the programs could use the graphical controller directly for e.g. drawing lines, doing area fill etc. without taking into consideration the picture position on the screen, other windows etc. This would multiply the speed 10-20 times compared to today's PC's, which "of course" still uses a DOS-type graphical system, even though they are running Windows! It will also make it possible to do soft-pan over pictures much bigger than the screen.

• A video-RAM, which always uses "true colors" (min. 24-bit), and which is updated from the main memory by means of fly-by DMA with possibility for color expansion and transparancy. This would e.g. make it possible to combine text and images of different formats and put windows and objects on top of each other without any software overhead.

• A more intelligent BIOS core, which knows most drive types - including a CD/DVD, and which contains full multitasking and a DOS like user interface. This would make it possible to change the graphical operating system as easy as changing every other program.

• A file-system, which could handle e-mails and system registrations as any other files and e.g. transmit any HTML file as an e-mail.

• A browser like graphical operating system, which among other things could manage files, send e-mails, show home pages, perform ftp-transferes and work as a basis for most programs.

• Be noise-less except for noise from rotating drives like harddisk and CD/DVD-drive.

This page is updated March 27th 2006