Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!apple!bionet!ig!agate!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hptsug2!taylor
From: travis@ihlpa.ATT.COM (Travis Marlatte)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: "Personal" Computers
Message-ID: <504@hptsug2.HP.COM>
Date: 14 Sep 88 05:44:23 GMT
Sender: taylor@hptsug2.HP.COM
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 102
Approved: taylor@hplabs

In response to my statement that a personal computer does not need to
be available only to one user, Ian Macey says:

	The Penguin English Dictionary defines personal as:

		"adj of, by or for a particular person, individual;
		private, intimate ..." 

Ian then says:

	... For as long as the computer is interacting with more than
	one user, it is not personal.

My dictionary also has:

	2. relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular
	person.

Check out the definition of impersonal:

	1. without personal reference or connection

(dictionary refences taken from The Random House College Dictionary)

In another dictionary, impersonal is: without reference to any
particular person.

I contend that a personal computer does not have to be portable or
singular. Could I not have a multi-user system in my home - terminals
(of some sort) in every room; interfaced to the security system, the
phone system, and household appliances. My whole family uses it -
without regard for who might be using it in the next room. This sure
seems like a personal system to me!

On singularity Ian Macey says:

	Think of a login on a multi-user system as an automobile on the
	road network. Your login = your personal transport (ie your
	personal automobile). However the machine = the road network,
	and there's no way you can say you use a personal road network -
	it's shared with other users (automobile drivers)!

Woops! Did I here PERSONAL automobile? Does this mean that my login
gives me some personal characteristics - even on a multi-user
system? You bet! Personal enough? NO!

Why is the machine the road network? If we must continue this
strange analogy, my login is my car key, the machine is the
automobile, the computer network is the road network. My computer is
just as personal as my car. The login .profile (or whatever) is the seat
adjustment, mirror adjustment, steering wheel adjustment, radio station
selector, and all the junk in the glove box. I can drive it back and
forth in my drive way or I can cruise down the road with a million other
drivers.

WHY TODAY'S CARS AND COMPUTERS ARE NOT PERSONAL:

The car, as it comes from the factory, is just like thousands of other
cars. I can order a few special wizzies just for me - power locks, power
seats, custom striping (which looks the same as everyone elses custom
striping). Is this personal? Yes. Personal enough? No.

Once I get the car, I can add my own personal touches. I put
in the latest 1000 watt stereo system with speakers that deliver sound
you can't even hear; I add a digital horn system so I can play tunes for
the whole neighborhood; and a child's safety seat even though I don't
have any children. I can even rip off fenders and paint daisies on the
doors if I want. Isn't this personal? It's portable! Only I can use it if
only I have the keys! Yea, maybe this is getting personal - but the
average Joe does not go to this trouble or expense.

But, I can get different sized vehicles. I can get a fancy one seater. I
can get a fancy two seater. I can get get a school bus if I want to. When
does it stop being personal? Ian would say - the minute you can put more
than one person in it.

To my statement that a multi-user system is just as personal as a
private system, Ian Macey writes:

	I find it *very* hard to believe you are unaware of other
	users. ... [there is a] constant battle with other
	users/departments for disk space/resources.

Good justification for the wrong argument. Your reasoning implies that
there is not enough computing power to go around. An operating system
can be (and has been) built to provide fixed resources to each
user. Each user is effectively isolated from all other users. The trade
off is buying more computing power or balancing the power available.
But what does this have to do with being personal? If I buy the wrong
PC, it may not have enough resources to do what I need either.

NOW HEAR THIS - I am not arguing that multi-user systems are the only
way to go. I am arguing that a personal computer does not HAVE to be
usable by only one person.

I restate - without hesitation - that my definition of a personal
computer is one that is able to fit my personality and lifestyle. This
may be different for different people. I don't care if it shared or
not - as long as it satisfies my needs. I don't care if it is portable
or not - as long as it can be accessed where I want when I want.

Travis