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From: JimDay.Pasa@Xerox.COM
Newsgroups: mod.comp-soc
Subject: re: Literacy versus Computer Literacy
Message-ID: <1449@hplabsc.HP.COM>
Date: Wed, 18-Mar-87 18:23:50 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabsc.1449
Posted: Wed Mar 18 18:23:50 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Mar-87 05:32:48 EST
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Dave,

It's true that as our artifacts have become more complex there has been
less need for the user to understand how things work, and I would define
computer literacy as the ability to communicate with a computer to
accomplish a given task.  The use of a word processor or spreadsheet
shouldn't require familiarity with binary arithmetic, TTL chips, or
Fortran.  If it does, then the software isn't very user friendly.

It's also true that most software packages for electronic mail and
conferencing don't provide much in the way of graphic or vocal cues.  In
most cases this is probably a deliberate design feature rather than a
limitation of the technology.  The current state of the art will
certainly support the transmission of digitized graphics and speech --
there's no need to wait 20 years.  But, as you say, the speed of
transmission of such information is limited by the bandwidth of the
medium.

For electronic mail, speed of transmission probably isn't an important
factor from the user's point of view.  However, multi-megabyte messages
might strain the data-transmission capacity of a given network, and the
availability of storage space for the queue of incoming messages is an
important consideration.  So the inclusion of graphics and speech in
electronic mail might not be cost-effective utilization of network
bandwidth.  One gets what one is willing to pay for.

There are many computer systems that use graphics and non-keyboard input
devices such as touch screens or mice.  Some such systems are designed
for users who don't necessarily understand computer technology and don't
necessarily read or speak English.  These systems work surprisingly
well, and there will probably be more of them in the future.

User-friendly systems for the non-programmer can be implemented even
without graphics.  For example, the cities of Glendale and Pasadena,
California have recently automated the card catalogs of their public
libraries.  The on-line interface is via CRT screens and conventional
keyboards.  By the use of displayed menus and simple prompts, the
inexperienced user can access the catalog and search for a book by
title, author, or subject.  The user can also determine the Dewey
Decimal code of a given book and whether it is currently in the central
library or any of the branch libraries.  If the book has been checked
out, the user is told when the book is due to be returned to the
library.  The automated catalog system works quite well and is often
used by people who know nothing about computers.  Checking books in and
out is done via bar-code reader, but library patrons still have to read
the books the old fashioned way -- one word at a time.

-- Jim Day 				JimDay.Pasa@Xerox, I w