How has the Internet changed the role of the computer scientist?
The discipline and theory of computer science is much the same. The application of information manipulation towards specific hardware and software developments, however, has certainly changed. The practice of computer science is increasingly focused on distributed applications, lightweight but powerful consumer hardware (NetBooks, iPhones, etc.), and the increasing challenges of safety and security of the vast amounts of information exchanged through the Internet. How is the Web changing higher education? Social networking sites can catalyze the creation of “communities.” With the ingenuity and creativity that seem to grow organically out of the Web it would not surprise me to see a popular new site emerge where students form groups with similar interests that eliminate geographical boundaries. One step in this direction is the growth in the number of videos of university lectures that are being posted on YouTube and on Apple’s iTunes U, but these are examples more of a one-way publica
