Home computers were first produced in the late 1970's. They were slow and quite ugly by 'modern' standards, but people still got a lot of use out of them. The early eighties brought more powerful and less expensive computers. The market became flooded with numerous flavors and varieties, all boasting their usefulness. Here were the first signs of things to come - you could buy one computer, only to find later that you should have bought a different one. Many people found themselves left behind, and had to make another investment into another computer.
The mid-eighties brought about another generation of computers. These were powerful enough that many came with various 'luxuries'. Mice, windows, icons, and menu bars began to appear, which were intended to make people's lives easier. They usually did. Things still weren't terribly fancy, but things worked well, they were simple, and they got the job done.
The old man lived through this evolution. He watched as the new generation evolved, and prepared for the competition that was ahead. People became quite proud of their computers. They had high expectation of their particular brand, and made fun of other people who used their competitors' computers. There were always other peoples' faults to point out to them, and one's own strengths to boast about. Most of it was in fun. All the computers did more-or-less the same thing.
These computer people were quite knowledgeable of their world. They used their computers because they wanted to. They had a purpose in mind, a goal to fulfill. There was a large world outside who had little reason to join in. Both groups were quite happy where they were.
Many of the people born into this evolution had great hopes for the future. It was hard to find people who didn't have some sort of 'ideal plan' in their mind for the evolution of computing. The old man himself, when only a young lad in the wonderful evolving world, had his own dream where everyone would use the same pleasant, simple, but quite useful and powerful computing systems.
The old man smiles as he thinks back. So full of optimism, they were. It's a shame how many people's dreams would never come true.
As computers became the 'wave of the future', some people were no longer content with the way things were. Computers had to do more. They had to be more. There were vast amounts of money still waiting to be made. Computers slowly began to be the 'right things to use'. More and more, regardless of whether or not the computers needed to be used, the idea was perpetuated the computers had to be used anyway. They became a symbol of power and progress. They were no longer tools primarily for the scientist and hobbyist. They became toys for all to play with. Sure, there was a lot of justification for pushing computers where they weren't before, but computers began to be pushed wherever they could be pushed.
There was a huge explosion in the early nineties. Now, billions of people were rushing into the 'new frontier', and many weren't content when they found what was there. There was a possibility for more power, and thus people wanted to use as much of it as they could. When people realized that something was possible, they wanted it regardless of if it was needed or not. There was the potential to impress people, and to pull more people into the computing world. Through all the hype and the glitter, things became fancier and more and more complicated. All sorts of relatively useless features evolved to impress the participants, at the expense of the simplicity and the usefulness that the older people had once dreamed of. The old computers weren't good enough anymore, and there was no choice but to be dragged into the future.
Some people seemed to hop onto the bandwagon for little reason other to boost their own ego. A new group of people emerged who liked to think they knew everything, but actually knew very little. They could brag about how superior their computer was to everyone else's. This was no longer the 'fun' kind of bragging that occurred back in the eighties. Some people seemed to feel embarrassed when they didn't have the latest and greatest of everything, and they felt almost dishonorable. Now there were so many people, oblivious to the past, claiming to be the future.
Companies who made the best moves became the most successful, regardless of whether or not they made the best products. Once they obtained power, they could continue to shape the world how they best saw fit. Those left in the shadow of the past either had to remain there, or abandon their old ways and assimilate themselves into the present.
The old man finds it sad that computers are often proclaimed to be the solution to everything. We need to fill schools with computers. We need to fill the libraries with computers. Everyone has to use a computer. Really? There is a difference between using a computer because it's useful, and using a computer because we can. There are plenty of useful, interesting, and practical ways computers can be used in schools. Programming helps build problem-solving skills and can help data analysis. It's much easier to read a neatly typed essay, than an essay quickly scribbled-down. Desktop publishing and music production are areas in the real world that can benefit greatly from computers. Searching for information can be done quickly through a library database rather than through large books or card catalogs. But, is there really any benefit in having students who can type their math answer into a computer and have the computer tell them if they're right or wrong? Isn't it just as easy to write the answer onto a piece of paper and look at the book? Is it better to make a child draw a picture with a mouse instead of a paintbrush? Is that the definition of 'computer literacy'? Some people advocate having students who can surf the internet all day getting information (ignoring all other sources), but these are usually the same people who think the internet has the right answer to everything. Some people push for having all schooling computer-based, saying that teachers will be 'coaches' rather than 'dispensers of knowledge'. Do we really want a world of people who spend most of their lives believing and doing whatever some computer screen happens to say?
Huge masses of people are now in the computing world. Some have been around a long time. Some have been there a shorter time but are still quite knowledgeable. The remaining people happily rushed in and stayed in, playing pointy-clicky through the huge new world, unaware of anything that came before them, or any of the ways things could have been. They happily use the computer doing the things that are now everyday occurrences. They chat with e-mail, type their letters, and edit their spreadsheets.
Everyone has as much right to be in the 'computer world' as everyone else. It saddens the old man a bit to see what's become of that world. He's seen things evolve from the 'simple but good' to the 'powerful but awkward'. Things heralded as 'the latest and greatest' have often been around for many years. Home computers multitasked as early as 1986. They did MIDI and digital recording then, too. Icons, windows, and mice were standard on many of the first home computers from the mid to late eighties. People are now impressed with things like multimedia that have been around in similar forms for over a decade. People 'upgrade' to get the features they lost when they 'upgraded' to the new systems years earlier.
All the 'new and modern' features require a lot of power, but it's easy enough to simply buy a more powerful computer, right? Should people really care how slow and complicated a program or operating system becomes? There'll always be faster and faster computers coming out to make things work better. We can always buy a computer that's faster, in order to keep doing the same things at the same speed. That's good for business, too, provided you're in the computer business, of course.
The old man doesn't talk much about the old world that's long gone by, except with the other old men and some people who have learned enough to see things his way. Even some of the newcomers are starting to show a bit of disappointment with the new world, as they realize that much of the so-called 'progress' comes at the expense of simplicity and ease-of-use. Not everyone needs the latest and greatest of everything, but they realize it's almost impossible to even buy some of the technology that was 'top of the line' a mere year or two ago. They often wish that things were simpler, and that their computers did what they wanted them to do, without so many extra added 'features' that complicate things and slow everything down. "The old version did everything I wanted, but I need to upgrade because everyone else is. If I don't upgrade, I'll be left out in the cold." Out in the cold, where the older people soon found themselves as the world evolved like never before.
That seems to be the catch when it comes to competing in the computer business. It's a constant race to improve on your previous product. If you don't find a way to get people to buy the new stuff, you'll go broke. The old man figures that soon, there'll be very little left to add to all the software and computers. Sure, there'll be an ever-increasing demand for (and subsequent supply of) speed, but will that start to die off once people reach the limit of what can possibly be done? There aren't an infinite number of features left to add to a word processor. Many of the features left to be implemented would be rarely used by anyone. After all, if a 'new' feature would be so useful, wouldn't it have been added long ago? Maybe we'll reach a more stable plateau soon. Maybe.
The old man doesn't bother to 'fight' against the ways of the world. First of all, it would be useless. Secondly, most of the new people would just laugh at him. He wouldn't want to "actually admit to owning one of those" old computers. They're considered useless, despite the fact that they seemed to work just fine a few years ago. Again, who cares how well something worked. What really seems to matter is how impressive it appears to be.
The old man doesn't find it surprising that the internet has followed almost the same evolution process that the home computer followed. Many years ago when it was small and young, it wasn't terribly fancy, but it worked fine. Files and information could be transferred quickly and easily. People used it because they found it useful, or because they had some sort of need for it.
Eventually, more and more people started showing up on the scene. The possibility of doing more existed, so people started to fulfill the untapped potential. Graphics were useful for adding diagrams to documents, but now they could be used as decorations, too. There was the possibility of adding sound to web pages, and then adding movies. While there was the occasional need, and sometimes a valid application of all these fancy additions, they quickly became a way for some people to show off. These people, usually the same ego-boosters who brag about their computers all the time, crammed their web pages full of fancy movies and artwork, not because it was useful, but because it was impressive. They don't really care if there's anything useful or interesting on their homepages. They just want to show off.
The old man knows that the internet is a great way to get information on what interests him. It's a wonderful way of communicating with people who live too far away to visit regularly. If you have a question, or something to discuss, there's more than likely someone who wants to listen. The internet is not supposed to be a global shopping mall. It was not built so that people could view pornography whenever they feel like it. It was not intended to be a giant junk-mail distributor, clogging people's mailboxes with noise and making it more difficult to get the important messages through. But who cares? Certainly not the people who send out millions of pieces of junk, just to get a few responses. Certainly not the porno-people. Certainly not the advertizers who make you spend twice as long getting what you want. They don't mind. What's the dismay of hundreds of thousands of people, compared to some small personal benefit? The internet is for everyone, regardless of motives or desires.
Certainly the old man doesn't mind business being done on the net. He can look around at different manufacturers' products, and decide the best one to buy without having to go to half a dozen stores. He can get the latest utilities from the same manufacturers. Companies can communicate between each other, sending E-Mail or other data to colleagues. He can find job opportunities and other information on companies' web sites. What irritates the old man most is not being given the choice as to when he encounters this commercialization. He has no choice but to download ads. He can't stop people sending junk spam E-Mail to him. The internet is the 'next big thing'. Everyone thinks they have to be on the internet. Some people boast that soon we'll be watching all our television and movies off of the internet. We'll get all all our information, and live our whole social lives through the internet. Many of these people are the the ones making money as a result of hyping the internet. They hope most people will agree, and jump in to the wonderful new world.
With so many people jumping in, and so many people cramming it with useless junk, the internet becomes slower and more unpleasant, just like what happened to the home computers. The simple solution in many people's minds is simply to upgrade the bandwidth and the computers, to allow for even more cramming and stuffing. Modem too slow? Get a faster one! Still too slow? Get a cable-modem! The old-timers of the internet sigh, and grudgingly give in to the new ways, just like the old man does. Maybe things will change. Maybe more people will push for some of the ways of the past world. Who knows what lies waiting down the line. Everyone, the old man included, will just have to wait and see.