Read the text. Interview: IT Manager
Interview: IT Manager The IT Manager being interviewed in this unit has seen a lot of developments in computing and expresses his views about future developments. Electronc computers have only been around for a relatively short time. They started out as very big mainfame systems that consumed a lot of power, were unreliable, and needed a team of professionals to operate and maintain them.Mainframes are still in use however and have continued to be developed. Supercomputer such as the Cray computers are the most powerful type of mainframe available today.Smaller personal computers that consume a modest amount of power, are fairly reliable, and can be controlled and maintained by the user are now very common.The development of network systems using personal computers has encouraged the move away from centalized systems, controlled by a large mainframe, to the development of distributed systems, where various smaler computers share the workload and control the system. Computers are likely to continue to become faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Some of the views expressed by the IT Manager include the following: 1 Speech recognition requires the use of very powerful systems that are only now becoming possible to produce. They will make a big change in computing and will inevitably encourage a lot more people to use computers in everyday situations. 2 Hyperlinked webpages are likely to be the type of computing interface that will become the standard for the future. 3 As networking develops, video conferencing is likely to become more common, although people will prefer to meet face-to-face where possible. 4 Although there is always some resistance to change, it is likeky that computers will play a bigger role in teaching in the fuuture. Teaching, however, requires human skills and is unlikely to be done entirely by computers. 5 It is difficult to find a good time to buy a computer because they are always being improved. Having a home computer entices you to continue working at home.
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