The Computer Comes Home

The Computer Comes Home page 1

The Computer Comes Home

Brandi Hubbard

Composition II

Abstract

The computer used to be a high-technology instrument used by government and higher education for research and defense. It has since become an integral part of the American home, keeping family connected with family, and exposing users to people and ideas around the world, accurate or fantastic. It is a force that all individuals now have to reckon with.

Since World War II, “computer” has entered the English language. The first computer was designed to calculate the trajectory arc of missiles, a tedious and time-consuming calculation when done by hand. This allowed artillery to reach a target quickly and accurately. This computer could not be re-programmed; it could only do its assigned calculation. From that standpoint, the computer was of less value and versatility than an abacus, which some people consider a computer.

The first general-purpose computer was ENIAC, which stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer. It was designed byJohn Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert of the University of Pennsylvania, and turned on October 2, 1955.(Wikipedia, It was programmed bymanipulating its switches and cables; this was the daunting job of six women: Kay McNulty, Betty Jennings, Betty Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Fran Bilas and Ruth Lichterman.(Wikipedia, 2008). ENIAC was also designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the U.S. Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, but the capability was expanded by this feature of reprogramming. The computer itself was as large as a large room and one needed specific training to run it.

Computers stayed room-sized, running on huge tape reels, for the purpose of military and defense work as well as research papers in colleges and universities.

The USSR's launch of Sputnik spurred the United States to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as ARPA, in February 1958 to regain a technological lead. ARPA created the Information Processing Technology Office (IPTO) to further the research of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) program, which had networked country-wide radar systems together for the first time. J. C. R. Licklider was selected to head the IPTO, and saw universal networking as a potential unifying human revolution.… the first two nodes of what would become the ARPANET were interconnected between UCLA and SRI International in Menlo Park, California, on October 29, 1969. … (Wikipedia, 2008)

In what now seems like dizzying speed, the computer became world-wide.It linked Universities to enable trade and publishing of research information. By this time, if a person wanted to get a Doctorate in research science, one of the languages required was FORTRAN. (Bonnie-Jean Rohner, interview) The computers involved were largely mainframes, but the “microcomputer” had arisen by 1985 as a viable connection. Information was traded by rudimentary e-mail or bulletin boards.

Enter the World Wide Web. Based on the Macintosh program Hypercard, the HTTP protocol was created, using a language called HTML (hypertext markup language). This took a turn because instead of direct commands, the HTML would instruct the target computer only in how to display items, and supply those items (text or pictures.) Thus any computer could link into the Internet and view just about anything.

On August 6, 1991, CERN, which straddles the border between France and Switzerland, publicized the new World Wide Web project. The Web was invented by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. (Wikipedia, 2008)

Schools started purchasing microcomputers – Apple, Macintosh and PS2 (IBM’s personal computer) for school work, and started connecting into the Internet, so students got an idea of what was “out there”. Personal computers were very expensive, but companies other than Apple and IBM quickly saw the market and started creating “clones”, thus reducing the price to where a student could possibly afford one. Businesses quickly discovered that computers were worth the price since they not only allowed quick and professional documents and presentations, but the Internet was a great source for data mining, keeping an eye on the competition, decision support and reaching their consumers. So schools started teaching these skills as well – word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, and databases. By the 1990s, some universities required their students to have a computer of their own when they arrived on campus. (Bonnie-Jean Rohner)

Starting in 1989, the computer moved into the home, as a Commodore, Atari, IBM, Apple, Macintosh or Dell. People still depended on brand names because of the reliability, support, and relative ignorance of the user. Students were not just teenagers – older students were exposed as well. Of course, once one sees what a computer can do, one starts to wonder what else it can do.

Software developers, seeing the growth of the home-PC market, started developing applications which were useful to the entire family and easy to use. With the advent of color for the Macintosh and Windows for the Intel-based computers, users no longer had to write commands; they could simply point and click, without any real knowledge of the workings behind it.

Number-crunching software was first, since this was a natural application for a computer. Quicken allowed management of one’s personal finances and budget, as did Money. Peachtree and Quick Books allowed accounting for home and small businesses. These and other accounting programs quickly expanded to include employee wages and withholding. Print Shop allowed people to make their own greeting cards, and flyers for their charities or fund-raisers. ACT! allowed them to track schedules and business contacts. Applications like Photoshop and Home Interior Design allowed people to express their creative urges.

E-mail began within companies, usually using Eudora. It quickly became popular, with use of the Internet allowing correspondence between companies as well. As people at home decided to connect to the World Wide Web, they needed an ISP (Internet Service Provider) to dial into for the connection. These ISPs always offered e-mail for the users, so this quickly became the method used to contact one’s friends and relatives. With the advent of Web-based e-mail portals, a user could read and send e-mail from anywhere there was an Internet connection (unfortunately, this includes the work place).

"SPAM KING" GETS CANNED

No, we're not talking about any sort of wannabe meat product. We're talking about the man a Microsoft lawyer called one of the "top 10 spammers in the world." In late May, Robert Alan Soloway 27, accused of using botnets to send out millions of unwanted e-mails, was arrested and charged with 35 counts including mail fraud and identity theft. Soloway pleaded not guilty to all charges. Even though there may be one less spammer on the streets (and the Web), few expect the spamming to cease. Scam and fraud e-mails accounted for 13% of all spam in May, says Symantec. Last year, Baseline chronicled the case of Jeanson James Ancheta, who pleaded guilty to running bots that helped him garner almost $60,000. But the story also told of the difficulty in identifying and catching botmasters. If there's a lesson there, it's that someone else—if not a few—will find a place among the spamming elite.

(2007, Baseline)

In the twenty-first century, most homes have a connection to the World Wide Web, opening up more and more avenues for usage. Web sites proliferate daily, adding more and more information and usage. Students still use the Web for research. Designers and engineers use the Web to check out what has already been done (David Sackett, interview). People working on home projects from fixing the cuckoo clock to building a boat in the basement can find tips, help, and “spec sheets” on the Web.

Not only can you now manage your finances on your computer, even small local banks now have Web access to your bank accounts, allowing you to pay bills, transfer money from one account to another, and balance your check register. Most employers prefer direct deposit, and banks will not put a hold on these deposits, as they sometimes do if you deposit at an ATM. You can log onto the Web and check when your paycheck came in or when the IRS deposited your refund without waiting for the monthly statement. If you pay bills through your bank’s Web site, even if the vendor doesn’t accept electronic payments, the bank writes out the check and mails it for you, so you never have to purchase another postage stamp. (Bonnie-Jean Rohner). Most stores and institutions (such as for a car loan or mortgage or credit card) will let you pay online as well, using your checking account. Since these are all electronically tracked using the Internet, the transactions occur “instantly”, there are no more floating checks.

Stock portfolios, mutual funds and IRAs usually have a Web page where you can track your investments, rather than waiting for quarterly reports. Since security has been inproved, you can even buy and sell shares over the Internet. Stock brokers have been using the Internet to watch and bid since the early 1990s. The portfolio managers of Shawmut Bank were running their business over the Internet in 1994 (Bonnie-Jean Rohner).

The United States and state governments have jumped on the bandwagon as well. You can download just about any government-related form off the Web, to fill out and mail. Income tax calculation and submission via the Web is available in most states now, and once accepted by the state, these result in faster refunds, since the calculations are trusted. The refund can even be deposited directly into your checking or savings account. Federal forms are available and W-2s can even be retrieved over the Internet if your employer posts them. Taxes can be self-prepared using a program such as Turbo Tax or Tax Act; which can be downloaded directly from the Web rather than waiting for the mail.

Many states no longer have an “unemployment office” – applications and weekly reports are done over the Web. Job listings are available on the Web as well. In Connecticut, the “unemployment office” is now the Job Services office, offering computers for job searches, printers for printing out resumes, even faxing of job applications. (Bonnie-Jean Rohner, interview) Job-listing sites offer general and topical listings; resume and qualifications can be posted for prospective employers to review.

What if you need legal help? Legal advice is available online now, at prices much more reasonable than you would need for a face-to-face meeting. Templates are available for leases, promissory notes, living wills, wills, and just about any legal paper you may need. Microsoft is one of the sites that offer these. At Microsoft, you can also get templates for everything from thank-you cards to football pool charts (Microsoft. 2008).

If you need to relocate, or just want to move somewhere new in town, most real estate is on the Web now. You can find MLS listings for homes (or commercial property) for whatever town you are interested in, and can even take virtual tours of the properties available.

If you are planning a vacation, you can make plane, car rental and hotel reservations over the Web, and pay for them, so all you have to do is show up at the airport.

Q:
My family and I like to get a head start on planning our summer vacations and even though it's only April, we were wondering if you have any tips on how to look up information quickly and easily on the Internet. We need destinations, flights, hotels, etc. Please help!

A:
… the Internet is one of the best sources, so let's go over some Web sites you can use to plan your trip! Doing it this way just may give you the best deals, less headaches and you and your family might just have more fun than you've ever had before. I'm so happy to help!

Let's start with destinations. There are obviously tons of places you can go on vacation. You can stay in your local area, you can drive across the state, go cross country or even fly out of your country. Wherever you want to go, one of the best Web sites to look at for ideas and help is TravelInformation.com. This site offers up free travel guides and it even gives you several destination options. If you didn't have any place in mind before you started your planning, you might get some good ideas here.

If you find a place you want to learn more about, you can click on the thumbnail picture. You can also have free brochures sent to your home so you can learn even more about certain places. The brochures include vacation areas, attractions, lodging and phone numbers you can call with any questions you may have. This site is especially nice, because it just lets you browse through different destinations and it doesn't overwhelm you with airline and hotel prices right away.

Once you've figured out the place you would like to visit, there are several Web sites you can visit to book flights, hotels, etc. Keep in mind that there are so many of these sites available today, so if I don't mention a certain one, I am sorry. Let's see, there's travelocity.com, expedia.com, orbitz.com, priceline.com, cheaptickets.com, hotwire.com, etc. My family and I used Travelocity last year for our trip to Florida, so I'm going to use that as an example for this tip. (But don't worry, most of the other sites I mentioned are very similar).

If you go to their Web site, you will instantly see where you can put in your vacation dates to search for the best flight prices and times. You can also search for flights and hotels together to maybe save yourself a little money in the long run. This site also has some destination ideas for you, with the main choices being California Deals, Caribbean Deals, Florida Deals and Hawaii Deals. So, if any of those sound like the vacation you want to take, check them out! You can also use the links at the top of the page for different vacation packages, rental cars and activities.

Now, if you are planning a more scenic route and want to drive to your destination, you can find maps on different sites as well. Google Maps is a good one or you can even try MapQuest. You can plan out your routes and print out directions before you even leave your house. These Web sites will also give you total distance estimation and an approximate travel time. (This is good for those times when your kids keep asking, "Are we there yet"? You can then say, "No, we still have two hours and seven minutes left"). Cool, huh?!

Also, one more thing: If you are a member of a travel agency, you can always look on their Web sites to find additional information about vacation spots, flights, maps, prices, etc. Those are always very helpful as well.

(Computer Tips newsletter, 4/27/07)

Now that the World Wide Web is well established, you can play games online, solo, or with others. If you are interested in genealogy, you can do a great deal of your family tree research online, as public records become published. You can check your local events calendar and movie listings. Not only will you find out the movie theater showing near you, but a link to a review of the movie. Check just about any shopping catalogue you receive in the mail and you will see a Web address where you can order the merchandise – and take advantage of online-only sales. Vendors encourage online ordering because it’s faster and more accurate – no more trying to decipher someone’s handwriting.

Q:
As we all know, Christmas is right around the corner and I'm one who likes to start my shopping early. I'm planning on doing quite a bit of it online this year though and I was wondering if you could give me some safety tips. I haven't done a lot of online shopping in the past, so I want to make sure I do it right. Thanks for any help you can give me!

A:
You're absolutely right, Christmas is only 45 days away! That hardly seems like any time at all and just like every other year, I'm sure it will be here before we know it. So, when I saw this question in my e-mail the other day, I thought today would be the perfect time to answer it. I mean, it is the weekend and I'm guessing a lot of you will be doing some shopping over the next couple of days. I know I am. My goal is to beat the rush this year!