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Re: The decline of the dinosaurs?

From Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>
Newsgroups alt.folklore.computers
Subject Re: The decline of the dinosaurs?
Date 2016-06-29 16:33 +0000
Organization NewsGuy - Unlimited Usenet $23.95
Message-ID <nl0t9l01fmm@news4.newsguy.com> (permalink)
References <nl00hu$l0$1@dont-email.me> <MPG.31dd5797e467f0698a2e6@news.eternal-september.org> <1lvc4d-d79.ln1@sambook.reistad.name>

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On 2016-06-29, Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> wrote:

> In article <MPG.31dd5797e467f0698a2e6@news.eternal-september.org>,
> J. Clarke <j.clarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> In article <nl00hu$l0$1@dont-email.me>, no.spam@thank.you.invalid 
>> says...
>> 
>>> 1981, the origin of the PC and its derivative family is now 35
>>> years ago. 35 years before that was 1946 with almost zero
>>> programmable computers around.
>>> 
>>> Does the rise of the smart phone, et al, herald the demise
>>> of the PC, just as the Z1, Z2, Z3, ENIAC and Colossus
>>> have gone the way of the dinosaurs?
>>
>> The smart phone isn't a more capable computing environment, it is just 
>> convenient.  For many people it handles all their needs, for others it 
>> doesn't.  And there are many tasks for which the lack of screen real 
>> estate and a proper keyboard make it grossly inadequate.
>>
>> On the other hand, the days of the PC as an expensive box are numbered.
>
> It has gone into "the network is the computer" almost seamlessly.
>
> The computer-on-a-chip like the odroid, raspberrypi etc tell us
> what the future PC will look like. 
>
> A terminal. But a useful and friendly one. 
>
> The Real Computers end up in protected, cooled buildings that try
> hard to be invisible to the casual onlooker.

Ironically, this brings us full circle, back to the 1960s when
computers were huge machines in protected, cooled buildings,
accessed by terminals.  The terminals are more numerous and
accessible today, though.

History really does repeat.  I like to think of it not so much
as a circle but as a helix, though - it not only goes round and
round but also off through another dimension.

-- 
/~\  cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ /  I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
 X   Top-posted messages will probably be ignored.  See RFC1855.
/ \  HTML will DEFINITELY be ignored.  Join the ASCII ribbon campaign!

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The decline of the dinosaurs? "gareth G4SDW GQRP #3339" <no.spam@thank.you.invalid> - 2016-06-29 09:23 +0100
  Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "J. Clarke" <j.clarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2016-06-29 04:58 -0400
    Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail.com> - 2016-06-29 10:46 +0000
      Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2016-06-29 12:12 +0100
    Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Andrew Swallow <am.swallow@btinternet.com> - 2016-06-29 12:18 +0100
    Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2016-06-29 15:39 +0200
      Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "Osmium" <r124c4u102@comcast.net> - 2016-06-29 10:09 -0500
        Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2016-06-29 15:54 +0000
          Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-06-29 11:11 -0500
            Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2016-06-29 16:22 +0000
              Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-06-29 16:51 +0000
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-06-29 19:28 +0100
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-06-29 19:37 +0000
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-06-29 23:15 -0300
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-06-30 06:46 -0400
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2016-06-30 11:38 +0000
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-06-30 18:54 +0000
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-07-01 14:43 +0100
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2016-06-29 12:07 -0700
              Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Stephen Wolstenholme <steve@easynn.com> - 2016-06-30 12:52 +0100
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2016-06-30 14:15 +0200
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-06-30 18:54 +0000
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2016-06-30 23:04 +0200
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> - 2016-07-01 12:49 +0000
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Moten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2016-07-01 14:54 +0200
                Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Walter Banks <walter@bytecraft.com> - 2016-06-30 13:06 -0400
          Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "Osmium" <r124c4u102@comcast.net> - 2016-06-29 11:24 -0500
        Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-06-29 11:08 -0500
        Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Andrew Swallow <am.swallow@btinternet.com> - 2016-06-29 18:51 +0100
          Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-06-29 19:28 +0100
          Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2016-06-29 12:07 -0700
        Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-06-29 17:52 -0400
      Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-06-29 16:33 +0000
      Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Mike Causer <m.r.causer@goglemail.com> - 2016-06-30 20:50 +0100
        Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-07-01 08:26 -0500
  Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Walter Banks <walter@bytecraft.com> - 2016-06-29 07:50 -0400
  Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2016-06-29 11:59 -0700
  Re: The decline of the dinosaurs? Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2016-06-29 17:25 -0500

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