Mobile changes how we think about computing

The rise of mobile computers, while not a revolution, does introduce a significant change in our thinking of computing. I believe that this change generates angst for many.

The history of computing has seen three major waves of technology. Each of these waves has had a specific mindset, a specific way that we view computing.

Mainframes The first wave of computing was the mainframe era. Computers were large, expensive, magical boxes that were contained in sealed rooms (temples?) and attended by technicians (priests?). The main tasks of computers was to calculate numbers for the company (or government) and most jobs were either accounting or specific mathematical calculations (think "ballistics tables").

Minicomputers The second wave of computing was the minicomputer era. Computers were the size of refrigerators or washing machines and could be purchased by departments within a company (or a university). They did not need a sealed room with special air conditioning, although they were usually stored in locked rooms to prevent someone from wheeling them away. The main tasks were still corporate accounting, inventory management, order processing, and specific mathematical calculations.

Personal computers The third wave of computing saw a major shift in our mindset of computing. Personal computers could be purchased (and run) by individuals. They could be used at home or in the office (if you carried it in yourself). The mindset for personal computing was very different from the corporate-centered computing of the previous eras. Personal computing could be used for ... anything. The composition and printing of documents was handled by word processors. Spreadsheets let us calculate our own budgets. Small databases (and later larger databases) let us store our own transaction data. If off-the-shelf software was not suitable to the task, we could write our own programs.

The mindset of personal computing has been with us for over thirty years. The size and shape of personal computers has been roughly the same: the same CPU box, the same keyboard, the same monitor. We know what a PC looks like, The software has seen one major change, from DOS to Windows, but Windows has been with us for the past twenty years. We know what programs look like.

The introduction of tablets has caused us to re-think our ideas of computing. And we're not that good at re-thinking. We see tablets and phones and they seem strange to us. The size and shape are different (and therefore "wrong"); the user interface is different (and therefore "wrong"); the way we purchase applications is different (and therefore "wrong"); even the way we call applications ("apps") is different (and therefore... you get the idea).

I observe that mobile devices caused little discomfort while they remained in the consumer market. Phones that could play music and games were not a problem. Tablets that let one scroll through Facebook or read books were not a problem. These were extensions to our existing technology.

Now phones and tablets are moving into the commercial sphere, and their application is not obvious. It is clear that they are not personal computers -- their size and shape prove that. But there are more differences that cause uncertainty.

Touch interface The user interface for phones and tablets is not about keyboards and mice but about taps and swipes.

Small screen Tablets have small-ish screens, and phones have tiny screens. How can anyone work on those?

Different operating systems Personal computers run Windows (except for a few in the marketing groups that use Mac OS). Tablets run something called "Android" or something else called "iOS".

Something other than Microsoft Microsoft's entries in the phone and tablet market are not the market leaders and their operating systems have not been accepted widely.

Even Microsoft isn't Microsoft-ish Microsoft's operating system for phones and tablets isn't really Windows, it is this thing called "Windows 8". The user interface looks completely different. Windows RT doesn't run "classic" Windows programs at all (except for Microsoft Office).

The changes coming from mobile are only one front; changes to the PC are also coming.

The typical PC is shrinking Display screens have become flat. The CPU box is shrinking, losing the space for expansion cards and empty disk bays. Apple's Mac Mini, Intel's New Unit of Computing, and other devices are changing how we look at computers.

Windows is changing Windows 8 is very different from "good old Windows". (My view is that Windows 8's tiles are simply a bigger, better "Start" menu, but many disagree.)

These changes mean that one cannot stay put with Windows. You either advance into the mobile world or you advance into the new Windows world.

The brave new worlds of mobile  and Windows look and feel very different from the old world of computing. Many of our familiar techniques are replaced with something new (and strange).

We thought we knew what computers were and what computing was. Mobile changes those ideas. After thirty years of a (roughly) constant notion of personal computing, many people are not ready for a change.

I suspect that the people who are hardest hit by the changes of mobile are those aged 25 to 45; old enough to know PCs quite well but not old enough to remember the pre-PC days. This group never had to go through a significant change in technology. Their world is changing and few are prepared for the shock.

The under-25 crowd will be fine with tablets and computers. It's what they know and want.

Interestingly, the over-45 folks will probably weather the change. They have already experienced a change in computing, either from mainframes or minicomputers to personal computers, or from nothing to personal computers.