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96 Published by the IEEE Computer Society 1089-7801/11/$26.00 © 2011 IEEE IEEE INTERNET COMPUTING

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M obile phones have supplied a new plat-form on which programmers create appli-cations that users can easily obtain. The

interconnection of mobiles and the Internet has provided an infrastructure for the efficient deliv-ery of software to targets (this might be a loaded statement, given that some downloads may con-tain malware). The creation of these new plat-forms for software development, delivery, and use has opened up the flow of creative ideas and provided a fertile field in which to let them grow.

Open source represents another such plat-form. It lowers the barrier to the development of new ideas that leverage the ideas of others. As the smart grid program gets under way and more appliances become part of the Internet’s connected universe, it’s likely that they, too, will form a new infrastructure in which pro-grammers can develop new applications. Some applications might be realized as programs run directly by an appliance, but many others will be in servers that interact with appliances in response to user preferences and needs. Some applications might merely monitor appliances, while others will manage them (for example, entertainment systems).

The flowering of new applications as these green fields of application space are created is unprecedented in its impact. Adding to the fertility of this space are cameras and sound recording in mobiles, as well as motion and ori-entation sensors, global positioning for location information, and elaborate sensing capabilities that continue to evolve and become a part of the appliance ecosystem.

Networking and programmability form the glue that holds these various components together. They enable the formation of a con-nected ecosystem whose functionality can be adapted to new ideas and new needs. For exam-ple, new devices such as the ones associated with Google TV provide a bridge between the Internet and the conventional television display system.

Because these appliances are on the Internet, they can be controlled using Internet-based devices such as laptops and mobiles, in addition to local wireless keyboards (in some cases). The notion that mobiles are becoming a general-purpose communication and control device opens up interesting opportunities for inven-tion and mischief. On the invention side, it’s apparent that new, downloadable applications can imbue mobile devices with general-purpose capabilities that can be used from anywhere to manage household or office appliances. It’s clear that strong authentication and authorization mechanisms will be critical to inhibiting the obvious potential for abuse of remote control. On the mischief side, applications that usurp user authority could be very troubling indeed.

This line of reasoning leads one to conclude that mobiles, operating as control devices for appliances in the smart grid, office equipment, home entertainment systems, personal medical instrumentation, and so on, will also have to support very strong authentication mechanisms. They could even become electronic passports, supporting our ability to confirm our identities and thus our authorization to carry out various actions or to approve them. This notion only increases the importance of designing methods to detect, resist, or prevent the downloading of malicious software.

I t seems to me that the continued evolution and development of these richly connected and

programmable devices will lead to applications that might seem like science fiction today but that have the potential to become the green fields of future invention or the battlefields of future botnet armies. Which future becomes reality will depend on some serious thinking and design.

Vinton G. Cerf is vice president and chief Internet evange-

list at Google. Contact him at vint@google.com.

Open Source, Smart Grid, and Mobile Apps Vinton G. Cerf • Google