The home of tomorrow will be a home with a brain. Its brain will be a mainframe computer -- not the kind of large-scale mainframe used in business and government operations, but a "household mainframe." The household mainframe will be a fast multiprocessing server that will vary greatly in size and capabilities -- depending on the size and complexity of the home, the number of residents, and the number and kind of other computers and devices that are linked to the server. It will be a flexible and easily upgraded server that can be readily modified to accommodate any new or changing needs that might emerge in the home. The household mainframe will be the heart of a communications and information system that will connect, control, and record the actions of the home’s various elements. The household mainframe will also process and record the information and entertainment products that are brought into the home electronically -- and the communications that are transmitted from the home. The home’s mainframe will enable the home’s residents to better use and control the home’s facilities and components. ("The New Computer Marketing Paradigm," elsewhere in this website, includes a discussion of the sale and installation of household mainframes.)
The household mainframe will usually be located in, or adjacent to, the home's mu room, the home's information and communication center. The mu room will contain a large wall-mounted digital high definition TV/computer display, plus one telereader for each member of the household (see "The Telereader: Tomorrow's Interactive Television Terminal"). The large screen will be used primarily for group viewing (and by pool room users - see "Tomorrow's Home Pool"). The telereaders will be used for individual viewing. With its speed and multiprocessing capabilities, several users will be able to use the household mainframe at the same time without being aware that they are sharing.
The home's data storage systems and devices will usually be located in or adjacent to, the mu room and will be connected to and controlled by the mainframe. All the data handled by or processed by the mainframe will be recorded and held in storage until deleted by household members or purged by programmed instructions. Most of the data stored and used in the home will be digital data, but analog devices (e.g., analog VCRs and audio recorders) can also be used for recording and processing data in the system.
The household mainframe and the array of tools it supports will change our lives in many ways. One way is that the home of tomorrow will become the school of tomorrow (as described in The Metafarm and The Mu Primer). Another way: the home's brain will keep the residents' brains much healthier much longer. The home of tomorrow will be an electronic marvel that will make life far more interesting and satisfying for its residents.
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