  As the vision of in-network computing becomes more mature, we see two
parallel evolutionary trends. First, we see the evolution of richer, more
demanding applications that require capabilities beyond programmable switching
ASICs. Second, we see the evolution of diverse data plane technologies with
many other future capabilities on the horizon. While some point solutions exist
to tackle the intersection of these trends, we see several ecosystem-level
disconnects today; e.g., the need to refactor applications for new data planes,
lack of systematic guidelines to inform the development of future data plane
capabilities, and lack of holistic runtime frameworks for network operators. In
this paper, we use a simple-yet-instructive emerging application-data plane
combination to highlight these disconnects. Drawing on these lessons, we sketch
a high-level roadmap and guidelines for the community to tackle these to create
a more thriving "future-proof" data plane ecosystem.
