The Values of Traditional Desktop Computing
Computing today is much different than it was in the 1990s when the World Wide Web made its debut and online gaming took off among other things we take for granted today. We have computers basically inside our pockets, called smartphones, today with us at all times. Thus, we take things for granted that once were a luxury.
I still remember when desktop computing was distinct and almost mystical that the masses didn’t have access to besides at school, work or in a library. Those who owned computers either were part of the nerd subclass of society that really lived with them 24/7 and spent all days on them; or they had to do it for work or educational purposes and less so for entertainment.
Back in the beginning of my computer journey in life DOS command lines were still a thing and Windows was beginning to make its mark. In order to boot up software, you had to know command lines and actually remember stuff like directories our files are stored in and the file names. Windows soon took off and Mac was also available although Macs tened to be monochrome back then — or at least the ones I had access to as a kid.
Today, we can get work done using ubiquitous cloud-based productivity software, such as Google Docs, across operating systems, computing devices and time zones. We can collaborate ona. document in real time. This opens up productivity for teams across geographical time zones and regions of the world that previously people had to send emails with files in them back and forth to get anything done.
We can play games today that are cross-compatible among consoles, PCs, smartphones and tablets. We don’t need to worry about 56k connections giving us lag when we try to play a game with someone in a different country. Sure some lag and things of this nature eist,m but nothing to the days of AOL I remember when booting Starcraft up and looking for BattleNet games to join.
However, something is missing with how easy computing is today compared to the desktops of the past. There was almost a ritualistic sense of sitting down on a desktop to boot up the PC and wait for the Windows Logo to appear. The desk held many other things that you may not think of today when booting up your device of choice, such as a tablet, you use for your every-day computing needs.
You had joysticks for space games waiting for you, as an example,a nd reminding you of that game you forgot to play called MechWarrior or Descent. You had cameras on that desk and video players reminding you to do some photography work and insert your files into Photoshop to play around with them for personal or professional future use. You also tended to have scores of CDs nearby to look at with a wide range of software rather than app icons on a screen.
Those were things that the traditional aspect of desktop computing brought to the table. There was also a sense of taking a break from the TV and phone when going to a particular area of your house to sit down in front of a desktop PC.
There was always a need to become free or to separate oneself from this traditional form of computing. When laptops came along they provided the bridge between mobile or on-the-go computing and the desktop. However, they were still restricted by size, battery life and lower hardware specs (still true price for price) when compared to desktop set ups. They still provided the traditional form of computing, albeit in a more convenient and less space-taking approach.
It was the tablets, smartphones and mobile devices that truly opened up computing to the masses. Once this occurred and people were less intimidated by the idea of sitting in front of a desk, or having to know command lines and how to run software correctly, computing was opened up to the masses.
Today, we have mini computers amongst AI algorithms on refrigerators and washing machines. The idea or concept of what a computer is has blurred over the decades as it is becoming part of our daily lives in everything we do. However, there still exists a spot for the traditional desktop among the caveats it brings: upgrading video cards for gaming, being able to have wide monitors for video editing, and just the sense of personalization it brings.
