Q: Can you give us a brief definition of the "World Wide Computer" theory you write about in The Big Switch?
A: Your PC's hard drive used to be the center of personal computing. But now the center of computing is shifting out onto the Internet. More and more of the software and data we use lies on the Net, and we tap into it through our browsers. The World Wide Web is turning into a World Wide Computer. It's similar to what happened with electric utilities a century ago. Why run a waterwheel next to your factory when you can just plug into the grid?
