PC: A phenomenon that clicked

in a time not so long ago was unveiled, perhaps, the greatest inventions in recent times: personal computers. it was a machine with potential to beat the human brain. however, on a personal level, people interpret the usefulness of computers in various ways. twenty years ago, the international business machine joined hands with intel to introduce the personal computers on august 12, 1981.but as there were other computers available in the market before this, and controversy surrounds whether this date should be called the birthday of pcs. in the late 1980s, computer mania hit india and since then has taken over every aspect of our lives. it was the dream of late prime minister rajiv gandhi to take india into the 21st century through computerisation. and, true to his vision india, today has a booming it economy. for some it is a way of life, a medium to explore the unknown and for some it has been forced upon them. however, they all agree that the internet - the information, communication and entertainment superhighway - has helped computers to take its space in the office or living rooms. "it gives me flexibility to work at my own pace and extend my working hours. but that does not mean i have an extended office at my home. it gives me in an option to work whenever i want," says vivek sinha, a marketing executive in his early thirties who owns a computer with an internet connection. "but just like a cellphone, do not tell your boss about your own computer. it raises their expectation from you," he added. not everybody agrees to vivek's idea of working at leisure. "it is enough to work over a computer in the office. i cannot see a computer screen outside the office. if it was not for work, i would never work on a computer," says chadrashekhar working with a tv channel. according to him writing and editing on paper has its own personalised fun. say this to 13-year old ashim sridhar, a student of class 8th and he snaps back, "life without a computer with internet connection is unimaginable." ashim comes from the generation that not only downloads music from the net but also surfs for hacking tools, hunts for his study material and in his free time he plays around with various multimedia tools too. for him e-mails and chatting is 'child's play' and, of course, games come as an added benefit. experts say computers would not have taken such important place in our lives had it not been for the internet. "the information flowing over the net and the ability to connect people through e-mails and chat rooms has been the driving force for computers being popular," said suagato gosh, a technical expert. he adds that students and research scholars have been the largest users of personal computers. initially the computer was projected as a device that will reduce paper work and replace files. but today paper files are still making rounds even in fully computerised offices. the initial agitation by employees fearing unemployment due to computerisation has died down. there has been an increasing realisation that computers have actually created a market for skilled workers and have increased their efficiency. "no doubt computers have reduced the work pressure and facilitated better facilities for the customers. but there have been moments when frustration creeps in," said an administrative manager with a nationalised bank. there have been incidents at his branch when computers have crashed and customers had to wait for hours for simple work like passbook updating. and, for roma singh, a housewife, the usefulness of computer ends once she has finished with her e-mails. "these machines are costly and i do not want to experiment with them. what if something goes wrong? i have written down the commands to operate e-mails and i work according to them," she says. cost of a computer is not exactly an issue with the customer today. one gets a pc from the grey market (assembled with pirated software) with best possible configuration for as low as rs 35,000. moreover, branded pcs are also coming cheap. the range starts from rs 40,000 and the price increases according to the configuration one chooses. "in 1990, a black and white monitor 486 machine would have sold for the same amount as one pays for a complete pentium 3 multimedia machine. the value of machines has come down," said kapil, a sale executive with a computer showroom. moreover, to overcome the price barrier a linux operating system based simputer will hit retail outlets in india soon. run on three aaa sized nimh or alkaline batteries, simputer will be priced at rs 9,000 and has been devised by vinay deshpande, chairman and ceo, encore software. moreover, it sector being on a global downturn, pc vendors are exploring possibilities to reduce prices or give the customer attractive offers to boost sales. and, if media reports are to be believed time is not far when desktops will television sets and pc will cost same - less than rs 20,000.