What would you say if someone asked you what was wrong with computers today? Too complicated? Intimidating? Perhaps you don't even like to type. Such comments one might expect from a new computer user but oldtimers like myself that have used computers for decades would have to say that we've seen nothing but spectacular improvements in computers over the years. They’re really no longer complicated and intimidating and one certainly doesn't have to know how to type to use a PC. I still hunt and peck.

Nevertheless, something definitely is wrong with computers that didn't exist in earlier days. It came about when PCs began being connected to the Internet instead of standing alone. This made them vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Imagine the downfall of Microsoft if their Windows operating systems became so susceptible to viruses that they became useless or if someone could access and control your PC remotely as easily as you. Nowadays nobody can connect safely to the Internet without an antivirus program and e-mail has become so corrupted that many people receive more unsolicited junk mail than desired mail.

Last January Bill Gates sent out a memorandum to all Microsoft employees as he periodically does to set the direction of the company. The buzzword used throughout his message was "trustworthy computing" in describing Microsoft's new objective and steps to restore confidence in computing on the Internet. Gates felt that the PC fell far short of meeting the confidence one has when using the electric or water utility. He said that trustworthy computing has the highest priority at Microsoft. The code word that he mentioned for the new software to accomplish that objective is called Palladium.

What is Bill Gates talking about? Can Microsoft really restore confidence in PCs connected to the Internet? It turns out that they’re not alone in this venture. Intel initiated the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) whose goal is to create a new tamper-proof computer that Palladium software will interface with. The plan is that future PCs will have two processors working together. One will connect to the Internet while the other one, called a Fritz chip (after Senator Fritz Hollings), will monitor everything going on to assure trustworthy computing on the Internet.

TCPA and Palladium are supposed to provide a host of benefits both to users and the computer industry, some of which, however, are still being debated. For example, it will not be possible for viruses to run in your PC because they won't pass as authenticated programs. Nobody will be able to hack into your PC and take control because the Fritz chip will prevent access. Mail will be checked to prevent spam from cluttering your mailbox. Industry will love Palladium because it will make it harder for you to run unlicensed software. The music industry will be able to sell you music downloads that you won't be able to swap and you’ll be sold DVDs that will decrypt and run on Palladium software, but you won't be able to copy them. For years, Bill Gates dreamed of finding a way to make the Chinese pay for software.. Palladium may be the answer.

When is all this to happen? They say mid-2003. Personally I hope it happens but I’ll believe it when it arrives. For more on TCPA/Palladium, how it is to provide trustworthy computing and the controversy it has stirred up see Ross Anderson’s paper at http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html.