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The time was 1979. I was doing a PBS television documentary titled The Information Society. The show was looking at the coming of the information age and the end of the industrial age. At the time, computers were beginning to be seen in places like banks and grocery stores and even on the farms. But most people were not aware of these changes. I picked several small cities to visit to see the changes in action. One place was Cedar Rapids Iowa. My 16mm film team walked into a store selling computers and started asking questions. The manager of the store spoke out in this interview. In 1979, computers were moving from being room-sized machines used by businesses to becoming personal devices accessible to individuals. The introduction of the Apple II in 1977 had been a game-changer demonstrating the potential of personal computers. The Apple II was designed to be user-friendly and visually appealing, distinguishing it from the the Commodore PET and the Tandy TRS-80. other personal computers at the time. It came with a color display, sound, a sleek casing, and the ability to run software from a floppy disk. Also, it was sold as a fully assembled product, unlike many competitors that sold kit-based products. While the Apple II was more expensive than some of its competitors, its user-friendly nature and superior aesthetics made it highly Apple II series was a dominant force in personal computing for the next decade. Then Apple began developing the Lisa, which would later evolve into the Macintosh, introduced in 1984. The Macintosh was one of the first successful computers to have a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse, features that would set the standard for almost all future personal computers. Internet and Network Computing was known in scientific circles but hadn't become mainstream yet. In 1969, the ARPANET, an early version of the internet, was created and by 1973, it had gone global. However, the public was largely unaware of it, and the idea of every computer being connected in a worldwide network was not a widely foreseen development. Some people were fearful about computers. This general apprehension was reflected in the media and pop culture of the time. In movies, such as “2001: A Space Odyssey“ (1968) and “WarGames“ (1983), computers were portrayed as potentially dangerous and untrustworthy. There were also concerns about privacy and the use of computers to collect and store personal data. This was a time when businesses and governments were beginning to use computer databases to store personal information, leading to fears about how this information could be used or misused. Also some experts predicted that everyone would need to learn to program. While knowing how to code has become more valuable and mainstream, it is not as universal as some predicted. Also at that time some experts thought we would quickly develop artificial intelligence (AI) that could replicate or surpass human intelligence. Despite these fears, the late 1970s and early 1980s also saw growing interest in personal computers and an increasing acceptance of their role in society. The introduction of personal computers, such as the Apple II and the IBM PC, helped to demystify computers and make them more accessible to the average person. some people were indeed apprehensive or fearful about computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This fear often arose from a lack of understanding about computers and the rapid pace of technological change. People often worried about their jobs being replaced by automation and their privacy being invaded. Regarding the speakers in the video, at the time, I was not savvy enough or smart enough or aware enough to know just how brilliant he was at understanding the future that was to come. He could see it and was convinced that everything would change. I would like to thank the advertisers who place their ads on this video. I depend on advertising support to get the income to allow me to continue to spend my days posting videos on YouTube. They include Dell outlet desktop. Dell outlet monitor. Dell computers. Computer shop near me. laptop store near me. Laptop shop near me. HP computer store near me. Cloud computing services. Cloud computing system. Cloud-based phone. voip for business. Business phone systems. Office phone systems. Office phones for small business. Business telephone systems. Office phones. AT&T call log wireless. You can see the entire one-hour documentary by searching the words “Information Society“ on my YouTube channel. If you found this clip of interest, I would appreciate your clicking the Super Thanks button to the right below the video screen. Your support makes it possible for me to keep on presenting clips like this one. Thank you David Hoffman filmmaker
