CA's Wang: 3-D To Become Next User Interface

Three-dimensional technology will become the defining user interface for computers in the next decade, Computer Associates CEO Charles Wang said in a Comdex/Fall keynote address today in Las Vegas.

3-D is an improvement on existing text and graphical interfaces, Wang claimed, because it's more compelling and simpler to use. Computer Associates has already invested heavily in the technology, using 3-D as the management interface for its flagship Unicenter TNG product and acquiring Viewpoint DataLabs International Inc. and 3Name3D--companies that have made 3-D models for commercials and movies such as Godzilla and Antz. "We're preparing for an era where 3-D is the standard, not an exception," Wang said.

Wang's discourse on 3-D was part of a broader theme, in which he said that current technology and modes of thinking won't suffice in coming years. "Those of us in the information technology industry have to look at where we're going. We can't deal with the next five years based on thinking that came from the last five years," Wang said.

Part of that evolution of thinking is a need to change the focus of technology from efficiency to new business opportunities. Rather than simply using it to reduce costs, he said, companies should look at technology as a means of identifying new markets and exploiting new sources of revenue.