Interview with Austin O'Malley, Executive Vice President of r & d of DS SolidWorks
February 1, 2010
The announcement that SolidWorks will be available as a service, in 'cloud computing', means a radical change. What are the technical implications that you can provide for for you and your customers?
When it comes to the truth, do not change the fundamental problems for designers: reduce the time of launch of products, improve its design and reduce its cost. You have always wanted to remove the computer component of the engineer, which does not hamper it, let that focuses on the design. Our goal has always been: easy to use, software that allows to capture the design intent, reuse data,... The problems of performance, reliability and the complexity of the design software have always been inherent in the process. At the moment, it consider how to use emerging technologies to solve them. It is not the use of technology by the technology, but reflect on 'how we can use them to make life easier to engineer?' Many new devices, such as touch, mobile, different emerging plataformas… that allow great flexibility. An iPhone does not have the right measures to make CAD, but should be allowed access to your data, communicate them. We offer flexibility, accessing the 'same' data from any device and any location.
What changes in the way of developing it will engage your team? Are not in the same way the programs for a desktop than for the nube… computer
The first step is to make the programs agnostics to the user interface. Separate the logic of the application. The interface has to be a completely independent layer. And data, as such, must be also separated. The idea is that different combinations can be made: that data is in the cloud, while the application is in the user's computer; or the data and the application in the cloud, and the computer has only the user interface. Or all in the cloud.
The architecture used for the development has to be different. Logically use technologies new, such as the cloud computing services ('cloud services'), whether in a cloud of our property or in a service like Amazon Web Services.
Another of the major differences will be the way in which we carry out the updates. With the development in the cloud, it is possible to perform updates automatically and transparent. The user always has the latest version. However, we cannot change the interface to the user in the middle of a project. We will have to use a mechanism that allows users to accept the changes to they wish them. When you use Gmail or Google Docs, you're not aware of when are updates to the program. We aim to provide the same ease, but at the same time allowing the user to control what is updated.
The assurance of the quality of the software is not an exact science. Make a program that will not hang on a computer is a challenge. How is the challenge of having a program in the cloud, that works without interruption and serve thousands of users at the same time?
We started in 95 modeling pieces. Then came the sets. After the levels of production, the large sets,... Everything happened very fast. But when you consider the amount of data involved and references, reliability is quite good, although still room for improvement. We are giving back to the problems of performance and reliability. What is the worst that can happen to the user? Losing the data. The time of restart the program is not what really matters. Now, users acting on the defensive: stored data constantly. We have restated: there is a 'save' option, nor nor an 'open'. Everything is always saved. With a choice of turning back matter, if necessary. We want to do that the program does not fail. But if you do, that you can continue where it left off. If your computer is burnt, continue with the of to the side. In addition to the problem of reliability, this approach solves the problem to work on any site, and that several people can work at the same time.
With more than 20 years of experience in the development of CAD…
Twenty-three, to be precise.
... Which of the problems that have been made to resolve seemed unlikely solution at the time?
I believe that one of them is the possibility to take a model and stretch it or squeeze it in real time. It has taken much time to reach the correct algorithm. And we need a capacity to process considerable.
Another is purely the economy: any company can have a design system. I am not going to say that it is cheap, but it is affordable. Workstations that cost a fortune is quickly needed.
The price of the hardware has been reduced in an impressive way. But the software… is not still even too expensive?
I think that it is a matter of economy of scale. The hardware is at the same time for millions of people. The price of the CAD software is not so high: say that you can begin with 4,000 or $5,000. This figure, for how long you do to pay the salary of an engineer? The real cost is in generating content, create intellectual property, to create designs models. If these data can be reused (for example, for marketing) reduce the total cost of ownership. We try to make the software to reduce costs. As contrapartida… software has a cost.
I have no problems in doing banking transactions over the Internet. However, I also know that one day after the screening of Avatar, already had pirated copies. How you planteáis to control the risk of improper access to the data 'in the cloud'?
Your example is interesting: there is a 'leak' of information for something [the film Avatar] of which there are many copies. If you want someone to work on a design, it is likely that send you the file with the model by e-mail. You have multiple copies. If you could offer controlled access to data 'in the cloud'. What would be more secure? If you're interested, you can remove access permissions later. With an e-mail that you sent it can not 'desenviar'. You would have raised you the example of the Bank if not me it'd put you. At first the people was reluctant to use the credit card on the web. I do not believe that you have a copy on a laptop that you get travel is safer that an access-controlled data in the cloud. It is a matter of perception. It will change.
What has in common the 'cloud computing' with 'social networks'?
With social networks people can collaborate and share. Or play: my son plays in network world of warcraft with a Playstation 3. What we do we have a professional approach, but has in common the fact that those who work in a project always have access to it. It is always 'alive'. Gives equal to that contributors work synchronous or asynchronous; they always do on the same data.
Of all the possible advantages of cloud computing, what you considerarías the most important?
I think that the most important thing will be the possibilities that will offer to work in common. For small businesses, is probably the fact that data are accessible from any site and… they are safe.
