The liquefaction of hardware
硬件熔解
The rise of the virtual computer
虛擬計算機興起
Nov 18th 2010
IMAGINE a personal computer that has two souls. One moment it is your work machine, complete with a set of corporate applications and tight security settings. Then it becomes an entertainment centre, allowing you to watch any video and download any program.
想象一下，一臺個人電腦有兩個化身，一會是你的工作機器，配有一套企業(yè)應用軟件和嚴密的安全設置，一會又變成了一個娛樂中心，準許你隨心所欲看視頻，下程序。
Thanks to a process called “virtualisation”, such computers are now being created. Ever more processing power and clever software are allowing devices of all kinds to separate from their hardware vessels and move to new homes. If this process continues as some expect, it will change computing radically. And more than one IT company will have to rethink how it does business.
多虧一種稱為“虛擬化”的技術，這種電腦正被制造出來。處理能力日益強大，聰明軟件越來越多，正讓各種設備從所在的硬件容器中剝離出來，遷入新居。如若虛擬化進程，像某些人所料那般持續(xù)下去，就將從根本上改變計算機運作。而多家IT公司將不得不重新考慮，如何運用該技術做生意。
Virtualisation dates back to the age of mainframe computers. To make better use of them they were sometimes split into smaller “virtual machines”, each of which could run its own operating system and application. But the approach took off only in recent years, when VMWare, a software firm, applied it to servers, the powerful computers that populate today’s corporate data centres. VMWare and its main rivals, Citrix and Microsoft, have since developed all kinds of software tools to manage virtual machines—moving them between data centres, for example.
虛擬化始于大型機時代。為優(yōu)化利用，大型機有時被分割成一些小型“虛擬機”，每個虛擬機都能運行自己的操作系統(tǒng)及應用軟件。但此法近幾年突然風行，當時，一家軟件公司VMWare將其運用到服務器上，正是這些功能強大的服務器，構成了今天的企業(yè)數據中心。VMWare及其主要對手Citrix和Microsoft，那時起就開發(fā)了各種虛擬機管理軟件工具，比如讓虛擬機在數據中心間遷移的軟件。
The success of server virtualisation has inspired IT firms and their customers to do the same thing with other types of hardware, such as devices to store data. Software now pools their capacity and allocates “virtual disks” as needed. Going further, Dropbox, an online storage service, saves identical files only once. Even large files can take only seconds to upload if they already exist somewhere on one of these firms’ disks.
服務器虛擬化的成功，啟發(fā)IT公司及其顧客在其他類型的硬件（如數據存儲設備）上，做同樣的事?，F在，軟件可共用這些設備的存儲容量，并按需分配“虛擬磁盤”。進一步來說，一種網絡存儲服務Dropbox，同一份文件僅存一次。即便是大文件，只要已存在這些公司某個磁盤的某處，上傳也只需數秒。
The virtualisation of PCs is now under way. Many company computers can already work with applications that run on a central server. But start-ups are pushing the concept further. Desktone offers virtual desktops as an online service. NComputing, a maker of computer terminals, virtualises PCs so they can be shared by up to 30 users. It has already sold more than 2.5m devices, mostly to developing countries and schools. And technology from MokaFive can send an entire virtual machine—complete with operating systems, applications and data—over the network and install it on any PC. Eventually people may no longer need to carry laptops at all. Virtual computers, including data and applications, will follow them everywhere.
個人電腦虛擬化正在進行。許多公司的電腦已能使用運行在一臺中心服務器上的應用軟件。不過，一些新興企業(yè)正推動此概念進一步深化。Desktone公司提供虛擬桌面網絡服務。而一家電腦終端制造商NComputing公司，則將個人電腦虛擬化，使之能為多達30個用戶共享。該公司已售出了超過250萬臺設備，大部分銷往了發(fā)展中國家與學校。MokaFive公司的技術則能將一整臺虛擬機——包括操作系統(tǒng)、應用軟件及數據——在網絡上迅速遷移，并安裝在任一臺個人電腦上。最終，人們也許根本不再需要隨身攜帶筆記本電腦。虛擬計算機，包括數據與應用軟件，將如影隨形。
In the long run, smartphones and other mobile devices may also become shells to be filled as needed. Open Kernel Labs, a start-up in which Citrix has a stake, already lets smartphones run applications, multimedia and radio functions on a single processor, cutting manufacturing costs. Software from Citrix turns the iPad, Apple’s tablet computer, into a terminal for applications that run in a corporate data centre.
終究，智能電話與其他設備也可能變成空殼，按需填充各種軟件數據。一家Citrix持股的新興企業(yè)Open Kernel Labs，已使智能電話在一個單處理機上運行應用軟件、實現多媒體及收音機功能，削減了制造成本。Citrix的軟件，把蘋果的平板電腦iPad，變成了一個應用軟件終端，而這些軟件運行在一個企業(yè)數據中心內。
How quickly will virtualisation advance? Gartner, a market-research firm, predicts that the overall market for virtualisation software will grow from $2.7 billion this year to $6.3 billion in 2014. There is certainly no lack of demand. Virtualisation lowers costs by enabling firms to make better use of their servers and buy fewer new ones. The technology also allows PCs to be maintained remotely, which is much cheaper. But improved reliability and security are even more of an attraction. Users of MokaFive, for instance, can relaunch their virtual machine should a computer virus infect it. And it can be shut down if a laptop is lost or stolen.
虛擬化步伐將會多快？市場調查公司Gartner預計，虛擬軟件整體市場將從今年的27億美元，增至2014年的63億美元。需求當然不缺。虛擬化讓企業(yè)優(yōu)化使用服務器，減少新服務器采購，從而降低了成本。該技術也允許遠程維護個人電腦，這相當便宜。不過，可靠性及安全性改善，則更具吸引力。例如，MokaFive的用戶，一旦電腦染毒，虛擬機就重啟。而要是其筆記本電腦丟失或被偷，虛擬機就會完全關閉。
Yet the technology also has to overcome a few hurdles. The virtualisation of servers is well understood, but for PCs and mobile devices the technique has yet to mature. In the longer run institutional barriers will prove more of a problem, argues Simon Crosby, Citrix’s chief technology officer. Virtualising IT systems, he says, is only the first step to automating their management. This is seen as a threat to existing workers and makes many IT departments hesitant to embrace the technology.
然而，該技術還須攻克幾個障礙。服務器虛擬化，大家都很清楚，但對個人電腦及移動設備而言，該技術尚未成熟。Citrix公司首席技術官Simon Crosby表示，從更長遠來看，制度障礙也將證實是個問題。他稱，IT系統(tǒng)虛擬化僅是其管理自動化的第一步。這被在職員工視為一個威脅，令許多IT部門接受這種技術猶豫不決。
Still, analysts believe virtualisation will win out. Its impact will be felt through the industry. The technology not only makes IT systems more flexible, but allows firms to switch vendors more easily—which will weigh on the vendors’ profits. Big software firms such as Microsoft and Oracle may be hit hardest. But many hardware-makers may suffer as well, since their wares will become even more of a commodity than they are today.
盡管如此，分析家認為虛擬化將最終勝出。整個IT業(yè)都將感受到其影響。該技術不僅使IT系統(tǒng)更為靈活，也讓企業(yè)更換銷售商更為容易，這將給這些銷售商盈利造成壓力。諸如Microsoft及Oracle之類的軟件巨頭可能受打擊最重。但許多硬件制造商，由于其產品將變成比現在更有價值的一種商品，也可能遭受重創(chuàng)。
What’s up, BYOC?（注1）
“自帶電腦”如何？
Moreover, virtualisation makes it much easier to add new servers or storage devices. Alternatively, firms can simply rent extra capacity from operators of what are called “computing clouds”, such as Amazon Web Services. That outfit has built a network of data centres in which virtual machines and disks can be launched in seconds. As a result, IT systems will increasingly no longer be a capital expense（注2）, but an operational cost（注3）, like electricity.
此外，虛擬化使得增添新服務器或存儲設備非常容易。如若不然，企業(yè)也能簡單地從所謂的“計算云”運營商（如Amazon Web Services公司）那租用額外磁盤容量。這家廠商已建立了一個數據中心網絡，其中的虛擬機及磁盤能在數秒內啟動。結果，IT系統(tǒng)愈來愈不是一種資本支出，而是一種運營成本，跟電力一樣。
Yet the most noticeable change for computer users will be that more employees will be allowed to bring their own PC or smartphone to work, says Brian Madden of TechTarget, a consultancy. Companies can install a secure virtual heart on private machines, doing away with the need for a separate corporate device. A “bring your own computer” or “BYOC” movement has already emerged in America. Companies such as Citrix and Kraft Foods pay their employees a stipend, which they can use to buy any PC they want—even an Apple Mac.
然而，電腦用戶感受到的最顯著變化，則是更多雇員將獲準攜帶自己的個人電腦或智能電話工作，一家咨詢公司TechTarget的Brian Madden這樣說。企業(yè)可在私人機器上安裝一個可靠的虛擬心臟，這也擺脫了對企業(yè)設備的單獨需求。一種“自帶電腦”或“BYOC”運動已在美國出現。像Citrix和Kraft Foods這樣的公司，付給雇員津貼，讓他們用其購買想要的任何電腦，甚或蘋果Mac電腦。
Such innovations may help to ease growing tensions between workers and IT departments. New privacy regulations and rampant cybercrime are pushing firms to tighten control of company PCs and smartphones. At the same time more and more “digital natives（注4）” enter the workforce. They have grown up with the freewheeling internet and do not suffer boring black corporate laptops gladly. Giving workers more freedom while helping firms keep control may prove to be the biggest benefit of virtualisation.
這類創(chuàng)新或許有助于緩解員工與IT部門間日益緊張的關系。新的隱私規(guī)則出臺，網絡犯罪猖獗，正推動企業(yè)加強對公司個人電腦與智能電話的管控。與此同時，越來越多的“數碼原住民”步入職場。他們與無拘無束的互聯網一起長大成人，很高興不用忍受單調乏味的公司黑筆記本電腦。給予員工更多自由，同時協助企業(yè)管控，或許證明是虛擬化的最大收益。
注1：What’s up, BYOC?
小標題源自美國1972年出品的電影“What’s up, Doc?”，中文片名一般譯為《愛的大追蹤》，或“出什么事了，大夫？ / 瘋狂飛車大鬧唐人街 / 愛的大逃亡”。
注2：capital expense
Capital Spending/Capital Expenditures/Capital Expense 資本支出
某些支出—如購置廠房、機器、設備等—可以使以后多個會計年度受益而非當年消耗完畢，這種支出形成的企業(yè)的生產能力，稱為資本支出(capital expenditures)。當一個企業(yè)花錢購買固定資產或給已有固定資產增加價值時，這就產生了資本支出。在會計中，把支出記作資產的辦法，稱為資本化。
由于稅收的目的，資本支出不能在它們被支付或發(fā)生的年度扣除成本，并且必須被資本化。一般的規(guī)則是，如果收購的物業(yè)的使用年限超過納稅的年限，成本必須被資本化。資本開支成本會在以上資產的使用時期被分期償還或貶值。 如上所述，資本支出給資產或財產創(chuàng)造或增加了基準，而一旦資本支出調整，將決定出售或轉讓時的稅務責任。
對任何公司的會計問題是，特定的支出是該被資本化還是被算作開銷。某個月里被算作開銷的支出會很簡單的作為成本出現在當月的財務報表中。而資本化的開支，會很多年來分期償還。資本化的開支會出現在資產負債表上。大多數普通的商業(yè)開支很明顯的是資本化或是被算作開銷，但是某些開支會因公司的偏好而被放在任何一類。
注3：operational cost
營業(yè)成本(Operating costs)，也稱經營成本、運營成本，是指企業(yè)所銷售商品或者提供勞務的成本。營業(yè)成本應當與所銷售商品或者所提供勞務而取得的收入進行配比。營業(yè)成本是與營業(yè)收入直接相關的，已經確定了歸屬期和歸屬對象的各種直接費用。營業(yè)成本主要包括主營業(yè)務成本、其他業(yè)務成本。銷售產品、商品和提供勞務的營業(yè)成本，是由生產經營成本形成的。工業(yè)企業(yè)產品生產成本（也稱制造成本）的構成主要包括：
1.直接材料：包括企業(yè)生產經營過程中實際消耗的直接用于產品的生產，構成產品實體的原材料、輔助材料、備品備件、外購半成品、燃料、動力、包裝物以及其他直接材料。
2.直接工資：包括企業(yè)直接從事產品生產人員的工資、獎金、津貼和補貼。
3.其他直接支出：包括直接從事產品生產人員的職工福利費等。
4.制造費用：企業(yè)可以根據自身需要，對成本構成項目進行適當調整。
注4：digital natives
從80年代就開始接觸PC的人，現在通常都已過不惑之年。90年代中國PC進入普及階段的用戶，現在也都30出頭。這些人經歷了模擬時代(機械時代)的種種生活方式和工具，他們試著去轉變自己的使用習慣和思維方式，這些人可稱為“數字移民(Digital Immigrants)”。然而1985年之后出生的人，則大不相同：他們成長的年代，已經是數字化的年代。他們屬于天生數字(Born Digital)，而且習慣且依賴連接世界(Live Connected)。這類人稱為第一代“數字原住民(Digital Native)”。
