The term “batch processing” was coined back in the 1950’s in the days of mainframe computers: A computer operator would feed a batch of punch cards into the computer, which would then process the information during a scheduled time, and hopefully deliver the needed information back the next morning. Compare that to today, when most computer processing is done through real-time and “event-driven” processing — the data is fed in and the computer quickly spits each bit of info out in seconds. Broadband networks connected to our computers have been built out around this idea of real-time computing.
via Why the Smart Grid Needs to Ditch Its Dated Architecture, Now.
