computer at each mutational point. This evolution typically involved new systems being brought into the market to address uses around the periphery of the mainstream of computer systems. The new machines then tended to establish a shift in the mainstream toward these new uses. The major enabler of this evolutionary progression has been the dramatic enhancements to processors, memory and peripheral mass storage devices which for decades have followed the general progression of Moore’s Law, the idea that electronic circuit capabilities double every eighteen months.

The impetus of this evolutionary progression has been the development of new tools to address more, and more fully, the individual and cumulative needs of the ascending needs hierarchy. Such evolutionary forces continue today, and we note that the highest order needs are now coming into the focus of the prospects of enhanced tool systems.

Evolutionary forces

The physical ecosystem is seldom in a state of quiescence; biological entities evolve, mechanical systems are modified and the environment changes. Within this developmental turbulence, the nature of the fittest vis-à-vis natural selection seems always in a state of flux. The same is true of social ecosystems. This is certainly the case with computers and computer networks; specifically with respect to the Internet and its derivative Web. As we noted earlier, in a time of great flux, it is difficult to assess the direction of change simultaneously with a determination of current effective policies of the social order. However, what we can do is reflect on the forces that drive change because within social ecosystems these forces derive largely from the human needs hierarchy. Consequently, we think it to be an interesting exercise to consider the stimuli at work in the current evolutionary mix which provides impetus for change to existing network structures and mechanisms. The Internet derived from the societal deficiency needs of physiological support coupled to safety and security. The major driver of Internet architecture was redundancy in physical connectivity and switching in the face of war or natural disaster. The extension of the Internet through the facilities of the Web provided additional mechanisms to sate the appetites of the higher order stimuli of the needs hierarchy. This extension is incomplete as it relates to fully replicating the mechanisms of human social orders. These deficiencies form the guideposts of our considerations.

We’ve previously considered the three most significant entities in the location and conveyance of content on the Web: the consumer whose appetites must be sated, the content provider that offers sustenance and the broker (middleman) that is typically positioned between the two and enables their subsequent interactions, for a small fee of course. Each of these parties has a personal or institutional interest in facilitating business models with certain characteristics. The consumer is driven by needs based stimuli, which on an instantaneous basis might present very asymmetric cost benefit assessments: “I need it, and I need it now! Price is no object!” Or, “That content should be a commodity that I can obtain for free!” The provider may have a different priority assessment, also needs based: “I must get this much for my product or I can’t afford to stay in business!” Or, “My work is unique, it can’t he had from anywhere else, so I should be compensated accordingly.” Finally, the middleman is in the position to put the two together. In fact, the middleman is often the infrastructure initiator; the developer of mechanisms to bring consumer and provider together. As a consequence, the middleman may feel it only just to charge a “small fee” that is a significant fraction of the total value equation. These business models translate into operational and technical tugs of war that impact heavily on new systems.

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