Prof. Andrew Tanenbaum
Prof. Andrew Tanenbaum
Professor of Computer Systems
Researches computer networks, such as Internet
We generally tend to underestimate the part that computers play in our lives. Professor Tanenbaum points out that “If you ask people how many computers they have at home, they usually think in terms of PCs and answer ‘one’ or ‘two.’ I then ask them ‘Do you have a car?’ A fridge? A mobile phone? Each of these devices contains a miniature computer. In an average household there are about fifty.” “We are delegating ever more tasks to these small computers.
Radio Frequency ID chips
In a couple of years most of the products in shops will be fitted with radio frequency ID chips (RFID), which transmit information using radio signals. This will do away with check-outs in the shops, and may also help to combat shoplifting. This is because whether you put the goods in an inside pocket or, more properly, in a shopping basket, a radio scanner at the shop door simply records the items you leave the shop with and deducts the total amount from your bank account. Accordingly, it won’t be long before we just throw our dirty laundry into the washing machine and leave the washing machine to ask the laundry about the temperature at which it must be washed.
Safety and privacy
Inescapably, however, the delegation of so much responsibility is not without its risks. Accordingly, safety and reliability are two major aspects of Andrew Tanenbaum’s field. “Just imagine what might happen if people could buy their own RFID scanners. They can walk down the street and identify the type and size of underwear that other people are wearing. Or they could see how much money you are carrying. We are looking into ways of guaranteeing people’s safety and privacy under such circumstances.”
Viruses
Vulnerable computer systems are a thorn in Professor Tanenbaum’s side. Careless software producers are responsible for a lot of misery. “As an operating system, Windows is actually getting progressively worse. Not a month goes by without the need to download 100 MB’s worth of updates, none of which makes Windows any more secure. I’m therefore working on an operating system of my own.”
Andrew Tanenbaum developed the system known as Minix, which the Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds later used as the basis for his popular Linux operating system. “After all, as a scientist, you want to contribute something to the world in which we live. I hope that my contribution will be in the form of secure computer systems. There really is no need to put up with all those viruses you know. Why is it that a bug in your printer driver can adversely affect the entire system? The printer driver should only have access to the printer files, nothing else! Compare it to a ship. If it springs a leak then all that happens is that a single compartment becomes flooded, not the entire hold. I therefore often wonder ‘Where are the lawyers?’. If a car tyre plant were to supply defective tyres, then the manufacturer would soon end up in court.
However, this does not seem to happen to the manufacturers of vulnerable computer systems. All that people say is ‘Well, that’s just the way it is’ or ‘There is no other option.’ Well, I plan to show them that there is indeed a better way.”
