Do computers have to be hard to use?
Article Abstract:
Computers are complicated machines, but they need to be easier to use. Computers are entering the mainstream and 60 million of the devices are used in US households. One of the primary reasons that microcomputers are still difficult to use is that the industry is young, and the technology is immature. Users are growing more sophisticated and are now rebelling against the 'gratuitous complexity'. Microsoft, which is frequently blamed for the complexity as well as the 'feature bloat' that characterizes its software, is now working to develop computers that are simple to use. These systems would be able to understand human speech and gestures. Microsoft's move to a graphical interface in Windows made Wintel systems much easier to use and led to the explosion in the popularity of computers. Windows 95 has proved cumbersome because of Microsoft's decision to make it compatible with MS-DOS and earlier versions of Windows.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1998
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Exterminating the 2000 bug from home systems
Article Abstract:
Most industry-standard PCs, except for the Apple Macintosh, may be affected by the year 2000 bug. Any problems would impact computer programs which rely on data sequence, such as personal finance, accounting and spreadsheet. Year 2000 will not significantly disrupt other PC programs which do not rely on times and dates, like games, word processing and E-mail. One solution could consist of resetting the two-digit, real-time clock upon the PC's first use in Jan 2000. Another option could involve upgrading the PC's basic input output system (BIOS) to assign the century number 20 to the two-digit year number. Tens of millions of PCs, especially older models, were engineered to assign the century number 19. The BIOS correction has been made to many newer PCs, but the software patches may not apply to the oldest computers.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1998
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When the home PC is a homemade PC; a do-it-yourselfer learns to build his dream machine
Article Abstract:
Computer users can put together powerful home computers by purchasing discount components and assembling them. Although the process may involve many steps and setbacks, the builder can gain a much greater appreciation for how PCs are put together and will feel elated when the job is done. In this case, a PC with a 400-megahertz chip, 128 megabytes of memory, a 10.8 gigabyte hard drive, a DVD-COM, a CD-rewritable drive and a 19-inch monitor were assembled for $700.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1999
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