Our Technological Enlightenment

Article from ADMIN 11/2012

By ADMIN Magazine

The landscape of computing changes so quickly that it's hard to pin down a particular "age" or trend that lasts long enough to classify it. However, I have observed that over the past few years, a subplot is developing in the technology story: Enlightenment. I'm not talking about a Zen-like enlightenment but one of maturity and of prosperity. Some of you might find my use of the word "prosperity" amusing because of prevailing economic conditions, but there is a prosperity in the technology sector. Think Cloud. Think virtualization. Think green. Think about the explosion in mobile technologies. And, think about how these technologies have led us to this newfound enlightenment.

The primary drivers of this enlightenment are smarter technologies, smarter technologists, smarter users, and smarter executives. We're more informed than ever before, we're better equipped than ever before, and we're more adaptable to change than ever before. If you don't agree, then think back to 40 years ago when technology workers used dumb terminals connected to mainframes. Few, if any, of those workers had their own dumb terminals at home, and computers were "black boxes" that only an elite group understood to any degree.

Just over 30 years ago, when personal computers hit the market, the professional and the high-end hobbyist were part of the new "PC" revolution. These heavy, overpriced, non-mobile boxes made their way into a select number of homes and businesses, while the everyman on the street looked on in dismay or in disdain of the whole computer fad.

Twenty years ago, when the personal computer became affordable and Microsoft Windows was in its infancy, a new generation of computer user was born: The Home Computer User. CompuServe and Prodigy were booming, bulletin board systems (BBSs) were peaking, and computer networks were becoming commonplace in businesses.

Still, we were in the dark and were

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