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Where Did We Come From and Where are We Going?
-- Part 3 of 3

To summarise:

Back in the 1940s, there was this machine of gargantuan proportions (took up large rooms) that was used to calculate numbers that took forever to program in and only half of forever to return a result. Fast forward 30 years and now computers 1000 times smaller can perform the same operations but much quicker. Then someone brings out a computer that can do all kinds of neat things with a monitor, keyboard and seriously cool software. Also, it can fit on your desk! So now you can get software to work out complicated arrays of computation in a microsecond, type out letters with spiffy looking fonts, draw cool stuff and print it out and play all kinds of cool games. All without changing clothes.

It should be noted that there were other players in the computer world besides Apple and the IBM-compatible. There was Commodore, who put out the Vic 20, Commodore 64 and Amiga. There was the CoCo, the Atari and other such computers that propelled people like myself into computers. That is to say: We didn't get into computers because of Apple or IBM. So we should give these manufacturers their due merit. (insert applause)

By the early 90s, Microsoft had focussed on creating a graphic interface, similar to that which Macintosh had brought out in 1984. So similar was it, that Apple took Microsoft to court. It took six years, but eventually, the courts decided that Microsoft wasn't legally at fault. IBM was becoming less of a player in the computer scene with scores of "compatible" manufacturers. Microsoft was charging every computer manufacturer who wished to distribute Windows with their computers a fixed price, whether the computer came with Windows or not. They've never looked back...yet. And in Finland, Linus Torvalds started to work on Linux. Back to that in a bit.

Two things drive people to get or upgrade computers: Games and killer apps. In the early to mid-nineties, games really started to hit their stride with the likes of Return to Castle Wolfenstein and it successor, Doom. There also came this proliferation of a means to communicate with others across the world called e-mail. If that wasn't enough to get people to buy a computer and sign up to the Internet, what about all those sites individuals and businesses put up that helped you find information on obscure music lyrics to family photos? By the mid-nineties, games and the Internet were starting to captivate the masses. These are the factors that really helped push computers to the mainstream and if you doubt that, find how many parents bought their kids computers because of a) games and b) their friends were on the Internet. Mom and dad could do fine without spending $2,000 to use a word processor, but with at least one offspring torturing parents with, "Can we get one now? How about now? Now? If not now, then when?" ad nauseum, it didn't take long before computers became commonplace. They became appliances.

While some companies were satisfied with the status quo, others were innovating. Remember a few newsletters back where we talked about MP3s? In the mid-late nineties, the sharing of music across the Internet started something few people at the time had any idea of what was to come. The advent of cd writers for the home system in addition to larger, cheaper hard drive space made collecting music relatively easy. Since the underground days of sharing music, music-sharing has become so common-place, most cell phones support playing them. Sharing pictures and videos across the Internet has become standard fare. In fact, communication is the highest priority on the Internet, be it e-mail, sharing family photos, expressing ideas to others who can express their ideas back to you, and so on. From these innovations of scanners, digital cameras and mp3s, we've seen a proliferation of devices. From the iPod to home systems that can transmit your audio and visuals from your pc to your television. It's all a reflection of our interests and our interests don't seem to be waning. If someone can think of it, you can bet it's either out there or will be out there soon.

So those are the devices that work with our computers. What's happening with the computers, themselves? Since Steve Jobs took the helm back at Apple in 1997, Apple has come a long way from its diminished market. PC manufacturers are finally innovating in grand ways now, from the very cool Sony wireless workstation to the very small form factor given to use by a few manufacturers. And IBM, while faltering miserably in the early nineties, has come back to pioneer some amazing innovation; inventions such as the ability to move invididual atoms and more down-to-earth matters such as this.

With Microsoft holding a virtual monopoly on the desktop at home, they've been charging artificially high rates for their products, be it the Windows operating system or the Microsoft Office suite, and been to the federal court no fewer than twice for anti-competitive behaviour. The relatively little innovation that comes from them makes some wonder why we're paying these prices. This is what happens with monopolies and why having options makes being a consumer a wonderful thing. If all we ever had was a Ford motor company to manufacture cars, we would be nowhere near where we are today with cars. We take a lot of stuff for granted, but compare the options and comfort of a car made 30 years ago with today's and there's little question as to the benefits of competition. Having said that, with options such as a free office suite that is as compatible with Microsoft Office products as Microsoft's own latest products, web and e-mail clients that offer greater security and a plethora of options while still being free, and a number of versions of Linux that make your desktop experience as easy as using a Mac or Windows is, the future of your computer is rife with options. Looking at the image on the right shows the similarity and maturity of Linux as a desktop. You can find more information about the manufacturer of that version of Linux by clicking here. Linux comes with a great amount of security that Windows does not have and far, far fewer viruses aimed at it. So what is going to happen with Windows or Linux? I am certain what will happen is what will benefit us the most: More compatibility regardless of what you're using to run your computer. And more choice. Choice is always good.

It is certainly an exciting time to witness the world of computers. Right now, there is research and development going into making monitors as thin as paper. No one knows what will be coming in the years ahead. Think back 10 years. Did anyone envision iPods or digital cameras or sharing anything with someone so far away so quickly and easily? When you think of the difference between the Altair that came out in 1975 and what we have today, just try to imagine the difference between what we have today and what we will have in 30 years. It is absolutely impossible to guess but so much fun trying to. I'm still hoping for that transporter. Beam me to work, Scotty!

A lot of information for this study of the history of computers came from a man who deserves boundless credit for his research in the field that is always ongoing. Robert Cringely has a documentary that comes in three parts called Triumph of the Nerds. If you'd like to see the history of computers as you've never seen it told, I can't recommend this series enough. While it was produced in 1996, there is not too much missing since 1996, with exception to the evolution of Windows, the Macintosh, Linux and where you see our PCs today.

Next week, I'm going to cover some of the basics in creating web pages. There will be no instruction on HTML code. Rather, there will be examples of programs and ideas that can make getting your ideas across that much easier. Options are nice. Easy options are even nicer.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns about this newsletter, feel free to e-mail me at sean@beggs.ca.