1. Did the introduction of computer as a writing medium in the late 20th century impact people in similar ways as the introduction of paper in the 15th and 16th century?
2. If computers were not invented for the purpose of writing, how did they become so popular among writers? What distinct advantages did they offer writers as compared to paper from the start?
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"A Brief History of Computing" offers a rather complete narration of the early history of computers. The reading provided me with much new information of the long process of trials and errors that made digital computers a reality. On the other hand, I find it difficult to understand some of the technical jargon in the reading that describes the technology underlying the different models of early computers. My biggest takeaway from this reading is the knowledge that computer was invented for the primary purpose of faster mathematical calculation. Computer was never intended to serve as a writing medium at the beginning.
Baron offers a rather incisive argument on how the introduction of computers as a writing technology was no different than the introduction of paper: new technologies tend to offer obstacles to writers in the initial phase, but these obstacles were part of the process of adapting to a new writing technology. As soon as writers adjusted to the new writing technology, computers proved to be the more superior writing technology in many areas as compared to paper. I think this argument is not only applicable to writing technology, but also relevant to most new technologies we encounter today. For example, when the internet was first widely implemented in the 1990s, many people found the internet to be extremely inefficient for sending messages as compared to phone calls. Fast forward to recent years, the emergence of instant messaging, email, and social media proves that internet is far more useful for communication across physical boundaries than phones.
Wong Kin
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