What goes into making something Web enabled? Here's an overview of the necessary software and hardware elements to get connected. We live in an increasingly interconnected world. We're more mobile than any previous generation-and that mobility is extending to our data. Process dataware routed from the factory floor to the boardroom. A technician can access wireless sensors in remote locations to see what's happening; an engineer in Ohio can troubleshoot an automation problem in Texas while sitting at his or her PC. How do you make all this information, from different devices and transmitted in different protocols, accessible to the people who need it? The Web provides an ideal graphical user interface (GUI) for machines and sensor man-machine interfaces (MMIs). Because of its standardized and portable nature, the Web's various components allow you direct access to information from a variety of computing platforms, from desktop PCs to cell phones. Web page designers can embed programming and algorithms into the pages themselves. The server (the computer that serves Web pages) can communicate directly with embedded applications. All of these capabilities let you create complex data-driven pages to present essential information without information overload and without having to create custom applications.
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