Not to worry - few folks will have the expertise needed to even begin to understand how to program a real quantum computer. -- Tom
Quantum computing allows computer scientists to approach problems in entirely new ways. For example, theoretically one class of problems that they will be much better at is 'optimization' problems such as the traveling salesman problem (shortest route to reach a set number of cities); analyzing molecular / chemical structures such that we better understand how the given optimized molecular model minimizes energy states; or, quite likely, analyzing protein folding in much more efficient manner, etc. This Wired articled "Finally, a Problem Only Quantum Computers Will Ever Be Able to Solve" discusses a class of problems that computer scientists apparently have proven can only be solved by quantum computers. I recommend reading the article; but, in short, the stated problem is... imagine that you have two sequences of random numbers, are the two sequences completely independent or is there a hidden relation between the two (for example, sequence two is the Fourier transform of the first)? At the bottom of the article is also a link to a short video (What is Quantum Computing?) explaining the excitement around quantum computers. The main commentator also points out that quantum computers won't likely replace normal binary computers as home PCs anytime soon, but rather may one day be provided as a cloud service for scientists and corporations. He ends with a great quote that I suspect sums it up rather nicely: "Quantum computing is like computing with the full force of nature behind you."
