One day computers will rule the world

Now, in year 2001 computers are present everywhere. They seem to be indispensable in our lives. Since they were invented in 1948, they has revolutionized millions of people work, study, conduct business transactions or making research. At now they are even in cars, in our houses or in our toys.

The first computers were as big as huge cabinets, and they could calculate so fast like today’s simple watches or calculators. Computers are having a big impact on today’s science and technology. They could be used for making complicated mathematical calculations, and perform them in few minutes. Also data gathering, testing and analysis have been improved by computer use. Computers have many applications in factories, where they are used for controlling and analyzing many industrial processes. However, they are not only using to manufacture certain products. As I said, they are incorporated into the products, such as cars, trains ships, weapons, cash registers or machine tools.
Computers are also using in medicine. They are very helpful in medical diagnosis, patient monitoring and general hospital administration. In the banking and finance systems they have replaced paper for nearly all accounting. Such areas as architecture, engineering or machinery are also dependent on computer design. Moreover, computers are revolutionizing such fields as advertising or marketing new products. Majority of today’s advertising are making on computers, nobody is making a manual design now.

There is a widespread impact of computers in education. Education institutions use them for various purposes. First of all, they perform administrative functions, such as data recording or book-keeping. Second, they play an important role in teaching. More and more secondary schools offer classes in computer science to educate young people how to use them. This trend is increasing as we are all on the brink of computerized future and an understanding of computers is especially to the young generation.
In spite all of this; we should notice that computers have a lot of advantages, and some of disadvantages. I try to compare them.

R ADVANTAGES:

1. Computers can save a lot of storage place. Some documents and any others important papers must be stored somewhere. Most of them are keeping in large cabinets, cases, drawers or in other places like that. But these documents easily could be stored in the computers. That will save a lot of storage place, because several cabinets could be easily converted to text in computer, and saved on hard disk, or on CD’s. If we can’t write well on computer’s keyboard we could use scanner, and scan our documents converting them to computer form. We could also use a special computer program, which recognizes our voice, and simply dictate texts our computer. By the way, I’ve heard that some newspapers publish annals on CD’s - all of the articles, texts, photos and drawings - all of this from one year is stored only on one CD. I think that’s great, because it isn’t occupying so much place as newspapers, and we could fast find what we need.

2. Computers are faster. Yes, that’s true. Like I said, computers can make calculations much faster than people, and they don’t make mistakes. Frequently we hear that again computer has made a mistake. That’s impossible, because computer couldn’t make error by his self! It could be fault of error in program, and then it is a human, which wrote this program, guilt, not computers.

3. Computers can be very useful. We can write text’s for example letters or reports in word processor and then print them on a printer. We can make books, magazines etc. Using a computer (desktop publishing). And finally the best what is in the computers: Internet. We can send written messages thanks to e-mail. We could, communicate worldwide using our computers, and finding interesting texts, photos or music. We can chat with many people online thanks to programs like IRC or ICQ.

4. Computers are comfortable. We mustn’t buy huge PC’s (separate screen, computer, keyboard, and mouse) we could buy notebook. It’s a mini-computer that looks like small suitcase. Or if we wish, we could buy laptop. This computer is so small, that we put it in our pocket. We can carry these computers with us and use it outside the house or office.

Q DISADVANTAGES:

1. Computers can damage health. Formerly, the monitors were really damaging our sight. But today’s screens are very good, and they really don’t damage our eyes. If we are going to buy new computer, buy screen with label „TCO 95” or „TCO 99” on it. This sign guarantee, that this screen don’t emit injurious rays. If we buy one of them we can be sure that this screen is safe for our eyes. If we have old screen and we aren’t buying new we can buy filter for our monitor.

2. Computers can crashes. That’s also true, computers can suddenly stop working. This is a big problem, because it can damage all of our work. We can avoid this problem by saving frequently our data or... by changing operating system. We mustn’t use Microsoft Windows operating system. There is many more Systems, we could use, like but many more, like Linux, BeOS, OS2 Warp, even old MS-DOS was much more safe than Windows. These systems don’t crash as frequently as Windows.

3. Viruses can destroy our data. Viruses are big problem of many people. Fortunately, many companies makes specially programs called anti - viruses, which are checking our computers for dangerous viruses. If we install one of them and we could feel safe. Until new viruses will appear. But even then our computers could be secure, we can download up-to-date version of our anti - virus, thanks to the Internet.

4. Computer games can be very violent and bloody. There are a lot of types of computer games. For example, there are adventure games, Role-Playing Games, racing games, arcade, educational, strategy and economical games. There are also bloody and violence games. That’s true, but these games are for adults (there should be a sticker on box of this game - Prohibited for children until 18 year old), like other stuff i.e. some kind of films, alcohol or cigarettes. Children can’t play at these games, like they can’t watch some films, drink alcohol etc. These games are for adults, mature people, who know that the computer-games reality isn’t true, and if they do something like that in the real world, they will go to prison or they could die. And children need play at games for them, not like „Quake” or „Blood”. Parents must also check in which games are their child playing. I think that some films in TV are extremely violence; death looks really natural there, but nobody isn’t interesting of it. Only computers are destroying our life...

One day computers will rule the world. I think that it is possible. In this rate of computers development these machines can really take control on earth. But I think that this day is along from now. Now we can rest. Especially that it wasn’t any effects of „millennium bug”. But even now everyone will probably agree that the future of modern society depends greatly on computerization.