Nowadays, our lives are becoming easier and busier. But after five years, what will our lives to be like?
Introduction
In 1946, the University of Pennsylvania in USA produced the first computer – ENIAC. It took up to180 sq.m and weighed 30 tons. After 60 years, computers have taken several significant technical revolutions and they have been advancing rapidly. Some of them are as light as a piece of paper and small as your nail. They are easy to carry and the speed of the CPU is 10 million times faster than it was in 1946. Therefore, it is obvious that the main trends of computer development are ‘getting smaller’ and ‘enhancing speed’. Because of practicability and universality, computers have embedded into our lives and most fields cannot research without them. In other words, computer techniques expedite other subjects and consequently affect on human progress.
Trends in computer development
The main trends of computer development are ‘getting smaller’ and ‘enhancing speed’. Getting small is not only size but also the consumed power. As we know, resources are getting less, so saving power is really necessary. Some people say it is equated with saving capital. For personal computers, if the consumed power is low, it means you can use your computer for a long time without changing the battery. The development of saving the power of computer and enlarging the content of the battery benefits some people who have to use their laptops in different places and don’t want to carry chargers. Enhancing speed has two meaning. One is to accelerate the speed of processing. For example, we can run lots of programmers at the same time and it will not break down. Another one is enlarging memory, which is to increase the space of saving data and transferring data.
The above paragraph is about the trend of hardware development. The following is about software. It has two aspects – operating system and application software. The operating system likes a layer to provide conditions for the application of software and connect to the hardware. Even if the hardware and software have enhanced perfectly, without an operating system they cannot work together. So operating system plays an important role in software. The application of software is associated with our daily lives. For instance, MSN is quite useful software and a more popular chatting tool on the Internet. By using it, we can see and talk to others wherever we are.
The impact of the computer
According to the trend of computer development, computers will be brought in every fields and change our lives completely in the future. I now want to emphasize the impact on daily life. Firstly, the equipment is going to be intelligent. It will be able to deal with orders correctly and be connected to the Internet. People will easily command the equipment. Moreover, the computer will monitor all equipment synchronously and send the alarm to the concerned person. Secondly, the effect on communication will be improved. Our mobile phone can be used instead of a laptop. We can not only use it to have a visual call but also deal with our files. Surfing the Internet will be done without connection to wires. Finally, The GPS (Global Position System) will bring another benefit. When you are on holiday, wherever you are, you can find your position and a map of that area on your mobile or your car. Possibly you can get more traveling information which is sent by the local station. Another area of progress will be the translation of languages:
‘A phone system that translates language is also within the reach of speech-understanding technology. ’[1]
This technology can translate your language to others, if computer find it is difficult to translate, it might ask you to repeat or say in other ways.
The advantages
Computers shorten the distance between people and build a new media platform. Also they save the time of information research and store it. For example, in the department of human resources, employers can manage staff efficiently by this technology. In addition, the development of computers has introduced more employment through IT, because software needs to be improved urgently. An increasing number of IT companies have been built; they need more high-level programmer writers. Furthermore we can say computers accelerate the speed of human development. That is why our society has changed dramatically and we always talk about ‘the explosion of information’. With regard to education:
‘A small, proctored, computer-based testing facility that students can use outside of class time offers a range of benefits to educators.’ [2]
Long distance education will come true. People will enjoy themselves in the highest education by using the Internet. It is cheaper and convenient.
The disadvantages
The fast speed could make people like spinning peg-tops. There is an endless cycle. For instance, when you receive an email, you have to reply immediately, because the addressors know when you have received his/her letter. This is evidence that people are getting busier with new technology. In 2010, most people will be controlled by the management of information systems, if the system or the server crash, the order of the whole community will break down. Then people will be helpless, because they are used to following the system, like people who are sent to a primitive society, they could not survive, because there is no shower, no TV, no washing machine, no computer and so on.
Conclusion
There will be possibly more impact on daily life than now in 2010. The main trend of computers is to benefit human. From spaceflight to civil purposes, people will enjoy their lives by the convenience, which is brought by computers. However, the disadvantages cannot be avoided at all, because the drive of society improvement is to correct us. Therefore, computers will affect every fields or daily lives, which rely on it. Let us look forward to the future. (1040 words)
Bibliography
[1] Sheldon Ayers, (1999). The Cultural Impact of Computer Technology. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
[2] Darrell Butler, (2003). The Impact of Computer-Based Testing on Student Attitudes and Behavior. The publication of Michigan Virtual University.
David C. Yen and David C. Chou, (2001).Wireless communication: the next wave of Internet technology
Hokyu Lee, (1997). Retrospective technology assessment: The impacts of computer communications on the structure of the public telephone network
Jeffery D. Wilfong, (2004). Computer anxiety and anger: the impact of computer use, computer experience, and self-efficacy beliefs
Yukio Yoneda, (1995). Prospect, rather than retrospect, on the impact of computers in catalytic research and development
