What is the next big thing in computing?

A collection of technologies are about to produce a grand leap in computing power. They are not the theoretical vapor upon which our entire industry recently collapsed. Nor are they the proprietary monoliths of the 70's and 80's. They share a prime directive: solve well-defined units of work. Each sit on the verge of an inflection point - the other side of which is nothing less than full potential of the very nature of computing. While that may sound vast and awesome and marketing-ish - the reality is actually quite profound in its simplicity:

• Focus on the business at hand.
• Build only that which is required.
• Provide competencies under service contracts.
• Distribute processing to service affiliates.
• Enable ubiquitous interaction with services.

What does this have to do with a singularity in computing? Everything. It took a Seinfeld script to clarify things for me - although the Marshal, the Atom, and a project helped a little.
Morty: "Another fine meal, and now for my Wizard tip calculator."
Jerry: "Dad, it's got lots of other functions."
Morty: "Don't worry. I'll get to the other functions."

Funny, huh? Morty's a WONK? Nope. Morty gets it. At that moment the requirement is a tip calculator. Nothing more, nothing less. So in other words, the next big thing in computing is focusing on the simple task of focusing on the simple task. And what is going to get us there? The three pillars of pervasive computing services:

• Contract-based services a.k.a. web services
• Distributed computing a.k.a. ubiquitous, seamless, grid computing
• Pervasive computing a.k.a. convergence, IAYF (had to ;-) )

Over the next few weeks I will take on each of the following questions in order:

• What challenges await en route to pervasive computing services (PerCS)?
• How does service contracts help with PerCS?
• How does grid computing help with PerCS?
• How does pervasive computing help with PerCS?
• Ode to services: whom has already solved what?

(not) Missed from this post are myriad backronyms contributors like Indigo, WS-*, SOA, BOA (had to ;-) ), ... but like Morty says - I'll get to the other functions.