It occurred to me that many people no longer use there Persnal Computer (PC) as a traditional "computer" on a regular basis. The only functions that I use mine for crunching numbers for is to track our investment porfolio.

The majority of the time I am usiing it for other things: Such as music, photos. e-mail, video news cast, etc.

Do you use your PC as a computer? Yes or No?

 

I voted maybe for last time I computed.

 

How, in this context, is "compute" defined?

Although simple browsing and most likely participating in forums such this, as well as most email functions, may not be "computing," every time you sort an email list (rearrange the contents of an archived mailbox to find something) or search, it definitely is. Spreadsheets and checkbook programs are, too -- and some spreadsheet functions are pretty complex computing at that. I have a mapping program that calculates routes by various criteria, so this is also computing.

Now, the new on-line utilities (GoogleEarth come to mind) are beginning to do some of this themselves, so that what used to be computed locally is now computed remotely. To that extent, home computers are evolving back toward being smart terminals. And with their multi-functionality in terms of digital video and audio, their multimedia components are becoming more and more useful.

Anyway, I compute a lot, although it's been a long time since I solved a differential equation from scratch. HPH

 

As things change, so is the nature of the PC. It will become a multimedia server in the future. It will still function to a lesser degree as before, but will be a home manager.

 

I'm looking forward to when that's easy. You can now get gadgets to control various things (lights and other electrical devices, particularly) via a computer that you can call into to check and reset things, but it's complicated and a bit clunky. Making that as easy as, say, programming a VCR () would help a lot. HPH

 

"PC" is obsolete for me, because I use a Mac


I use it MUCH more as a "multimedia center" for internet, music, pictures, email, AIM, and occasionally watching movies. I do use Excel and Word occasionally, though.

 

What, you don't think that uncompressing an MP3 file to a digital data stream and then converting that to an analog audio signal doesn't take any calculations? Or are you doing that by hand, and leaving the simple price-to-earnings division calculation stuff to the PC?

Everybody uses thier PC as a "computer," as in a mathematical calculation device, whether they realize it or not. Just because your end result isn't a number doesn't mean you not computing.

 

I think you are asking two entirely different questions.

Is the Personal Computer obsolete? No, of course not. It has changed, evolved so to speak, and it now is much more valuable than it ever was. If it was still just for number crunching, your traditional definition of computing, it would have died a slow death. The only people using it would be accountants and engineers. I has become an information and communication device. It has also become an entertainment center. In these new roles, it is more important than ever.

That of course leads to the second question. What is "traditional computing"? I suppose by that term you mean number crunching. Perhaps some spreadsheeting and word processing. SuperCalc/VisiCalc, early Word Perfect and custom applications. Those days are long gone. The computer has had a graphical interface for a very long time, since Quattra Pro and Word Perfect and especially since Windowd 3.0. Once that happened, the floodgates opened wide.

I think that once again Bill Gates, among others, was a visionary. Long, long ago he spoke about taking the computer off of the office desk and making it the centerpiece of the living room.

 

Back in 1991 I was in the the PC computer industry. My involvement with Mini's goes back to the late 70's with IBM System 34's, 36's.

With that stated: People like Bll Gates, Steve Wozniak, and Steven Jobs have changed the course of human lifestyle and history.

I remember very well attending the satelite introduction of Windows 3.1. Microsoft opened the introduction with a concert pianist playing a Grand Piano on stage while the music that he was playing was being dynamically scored into sheet music. At that MOMENT, I realized that computers where no longer trapped in their role as accounting "number cruching" devices.

I find it fascinating that Pierre Omidyar the founder of ebay is now worth 10.05 Billion Dollars all because his "girl friend" wanted to have a "yard sale". He took on creating a Internet based yard sale as a week end project, and founded ebay.

IMHO, a classic example of thinking outside of the box.

 

I'll add that "traditional" implies it's something that's been passed down from user to user - something that's been constant throughout the duration of the computer's existence. There is no such traditional use - the use has changed with each new "generation" of computer. One of the earliest uses of computers was ballistic trajectory calculations for artillery. When was the last time anybody here did that?