How Many Computers are Enough?
How many computers do you have?
How about printers?
What about scanners?
In the 1980’s personal computers became a reality. In the beginning they were primitive things, needing a technical background and the disposition of a hacker to get results worth having. That’s hacker in the original sense of a problem solver, not the criminal types the media have redefined the word to mean.
Now the world has been changed by what is available for nearly everyone. We have computers that can run our households, at least when we set them up to do it. We can have our own home theatre systems that rival what was only available in a cinema not so long ago.
Computers have exploded onto the scene faster than did televisions. There are literally hundreds of millions of personal computers and millions of internet servers. We all have the equivalent of the best libraries in the world available at the touch of a keyboard – and the junk information from every crackpot organization there is.
For the first time in history, the access of the common man rivals that of the privileged. We have equipment that couldn’t be dreamed of even a generation back. Our homes have computers all around them, in our cars, phones, cameras, stereos and even stoves and fridges.
Many of us work with computers and we are increasingly exposed to more sophisticated machines with mostly, less knowledge of how they do what they do. They’ve gone from a techo-only experience to a push button usage in less than twenty five years.
And in case you’re interested, Mr JM and I have a scanner, two printers, two computers and two laptops. There’s also a multi-function printer we’re trying to find a home for. And another laptop in the same situation.
Oh, and a couple of mobile phones (what they call cell phones in Oz) that are more of a computer than you could buy fifteen years ago.
Leave a Reply