From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!alice!mhtsa!eagle!cw
Newsgroups: net.followup
Title: What Is A History Major Going To Use A PC For?
Article-I.D.: eagle.578
Posted: Tue Oct 26 17:37:53 1982
Received: Wed Oct 27 08:31:32 1982
References: cwruecmp.208


A recent article asks what a history major is going to use a personal
computer for?  What, may I ask, are you using your (at this moment)
personal computer for?  

Reading netnews, I presume.

Indeed, I suspect that you do not really understand how much the free
availability of a computer for your use affects the way you run your
life.  I know that I do not until I talk with people who do not have
such access.  Further, I do not think any of us computer persons
(suggest a better collective noun, if you will) really can guess what
good things a history major might do.  In fact, denying the possibility
that someone not trained in our arcane arts could have a use smacks
of the arrogance of a guild.

Finally, I suspect that within ten (twenty if you are a particularly
conservative reader) years this question will be moot;
something much nicer than PC's will be everywhere.  It was only two or
three years ago when PC's even became available generally for 
reasonable prices and with reasonable capabilities.

Now the question of whether a particular school should require the
purchase of a PC is a matter of educational and social policy,
economics, pedagogy, finances, and so on.  I would of thought that
the rest of us would watch the experiment with interest.

Also, there seems to be some confusion about CMU and Drexel.
CMU plans to install (presumably at no cost to students beyond
that normal to private schools) a very extensive computer network.
Since CMU is a premier engineering school and probably has the
brains to undertake this enormous job, I applaud them.  I hope it
works; I'm not sure it will.  Drexel, on the other hand, is both
less ambitious and more hopeful.  They only want independent PC's
for everyone; something easily attainable with current technology and
a little (relatively speaking) money.  On the other hand, CMU is 
almost certain to have a fascinating installation if it works, whereas
Drexel is only hoping that some intellectual synergy will occur
beyond the obvious uses of PC's.

Charles