Fifty years ago I was sitting in front of a brand new IBM electric typewriter in the Agency Department of Union Mutual Life Insurance Co. at its office right across the street from Portland City Hall and on the corner opposite the Gannett Publishing Company.
Lots of things have changed since then, although I think City Hall is still where it was.
Today, my fingers are flying over the keyboard of an “old” computer – an iMac about six years old. Computers are called “old” now when they are barely warmed up! Mine must be an antique.
The other day I heard someone (under the age of 25) talking about how slow the computer in the office was – and I thought again, what is your rush? No matter the age of the computer, getting information via the Internet still takes only seconds – I mean, has anyone done any research in libraries lately where you must go from book to book, with a stop in between to check the Dewey Decimal number? That can really be slow.
Regardless of the praises sung to the newest computer, and their routine upgrades, it seems that other than what you see on the screen, the latest cartoon characters and other icons, not much really changes. Some of the “commands” change name but if you close your eyes and use the old keyboard command it’s usually still functional. (Control key+P key almost always means “print,” even though the word “print” is hidden in one of the many file names across the top of the screen, or desk top, or monitor, or clipboard or whatever the latest name is.
The latest version usually will hold more memory – which means you can use more software programs (music, movies, and who knows what else) and store more files. If you’re the type who never throws anything away, you’ll love this – if you can figure out a way to store material so it can be easily retrieved. Otherwise you may as well go back to the file cabinet and file folders.
So far at least, the arrangement of the letters on the keyboard has remained as they have been for decades. It is this layout (QWERTY, I call it) which lends itself to the use of fingers and it is this situation by which one learns what’s called touch typing – typing without looking at the keys. With my index finger I can even feel the little “nub” on the keys marked F and J, which tells me I am on the “home row.” I like it that one of the most frequently used letters, A, is easily reached by the left hand little finger, and the space bar is handily perched below the right hand thumb.
I’ve read about the possibility of changing the letter arrangement and I’ve seen some kind of strange split keyboard. For those of us who learned how to type back in the 50s, the idea of a 3-piece keyboard is pretty weird.
I can’t imagine having to relearn the keyboard to the Columbus method (search and land on it), the method used by many. Why not just teach touch typing in a computer class? The whole point of using a computer is to compute and save time – so it seems logical to start with the digits that are doing the digital maneuvering! No wonder the computer seems slow if you have to spend time looking for the keys you want to use.
And as for spell check – forget it. If it’s a word, and used incorrectly, spell check just whips right over it and you’re left with the lame explanation, “Must have been a computer glitch.”
Computers are a part of our world, but don’t depend on them for everything. When you cash a computer-produced paycheck, it still needs to be in cursive writing (or as we used to call it, longhand). No computer skills can take care of that. Maybe someday we’ll use our thumbprint – nothing’s impossible.
See you next week.
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