CS 106P

Computers in the workplace

Many of you probably know first-hand some of the ways computers are used in the workplace.
What are some of the ways computers are being used in the work place?
What kinds of computers are used in the workplace? (PC's, Mainframes, PDA or hand-held, embedded systems, ...)
Evolution of personal computer:

PC's are getting faster and cheaper. Performance tends to double every 18 months.
What is Internet time? (Technologies, like the Internet, have changed our perception of time. The Internet speeds up the pace of innovation and business, so that one year seems like 7 pre-Internet years.)
Computers and their impact on organizations. Communication. E-mail, electronic documents, databases, etc. are used to communicate and keep people informed. This use to be a significant part of a manager's job. Flatten organizations.

Computers eliminate some jobs but create others. Does it/ will it do more of one than the other?
Most people agree that computers increase productivity. (Look here for a well reasoned dissenting view.) (Economists like things that increase productivity because it is the only real way of creating wealth.) What should we/ will we do with the productivity gains?
- Everyone works less. Decrease in the number of hours worked. More leisure time.
- Some don't work. Higher unemployment.
- Will there be more or less wealth?
If automation does in fact create some jobs at the same time it eliminates others what should dislocated workers do?
Will skills be more important?
What is a Luddite? Person who doesn't favor technology. History: early 1800's. Craftspeople of Nottingham England were being displaced by industrial factories that could produce textiles more economically. Factories used mechanized looms. Some Craftspeople started working in the factories. Making cloths by hand was not only a profession, but also a way of life for these people. Whenever a loom got broken (by sabotage or accident) they would blame Ned Ludd. Some Craftspeople at the time did organize and claimed there leader was Ned Ludd.