{{B}}The Supercomputer Network{{/B}}
1 Recently, ten laboratories run by governments in different parts of the world have become linked. Their Computers have been connected so they can "talk" to each other. This may not seem very dramatic news, but it is the beginning of a development that will increase the power of the Internet tremendously.
2 The Internet is an interconnected (互联) system of networks that connects computers round the world and facilitates the transmission and exchange of information. The way that you use the Internet is by accessing this network. This depends on the power that your system allows you to use. The power of your computer is responsible for how fast you can download (下载) files, how much data you can store, etc. If your computer is old and slow, accessing the information can be very difficult.
3 The new development in information technology has been called "the grid" (网格持术), and it will be a network of computers that are linked together. The "grid' will work in a different way from the Internet, enabling you to get the power of the biggest computers in the world on your computer. Accessing the information will no longer depend on the power of your computer. The idea is that while you access information, you will also have access to the power of the bigger computer stations.
4 One advantage of this revolutionary idea is that geographical location will become irrelevant. The "grid" will decide which are the best parts of a worldwide network to do the job you want. This means that you may be accessing a computer in Japan to solve a problem in Alaska.
5 The "grid" can be compared to having an efficient personal assistant. You can give your assistant a task and "he" will do it for you. The assistant will do the preliminary research, collect the data, compare them and decide on the best course of action by accessing any of the computer centres in the "grid" that happen to have the relevant information. All you have to do is assign the task, sit back and wait.
6 At present, possible applications of the "grid" in scientific research are being explored. While it has taken about fifteen years for Internet use to become widespread, experts believe that the "grid" could be up and running for private individuals far more quickly. Scientists working on "grid" projects are convinced that it will be as widely used as the web in the next ten years.