Question: How the heck did we manage at work without computers?
Answer: Easy! With a typewriter and a landline phone
I was cleaning out my garage when I came across a little green notepad I used over thirty years ago in the army. In the days before computers, if you were in the army, especially if you were in a leadership position, you always had to carry a little book to take notes during meetings, copy tasks, or make schedules.
Reading through my notes was like stepping back in time. An assortment of things was on my mind in 1992. I had everything in there, from notes on my discontent with leadership, to a list of the four factors of leadership and, of course, my Chain of Command. Other oddities were a note criticizing one of my children’s teachers, electronic wiring color codes, and a movie review!
All of that was amusing. However, there was one note in there that caught most of my attention. Apparently, on June 30, 1992, one of my tasks was procuring a small multi-user computer (a word we always use in the army). It is transcribed below. I cleaned up the miss-spelled words and awful grammar:
June 30, 1992
Task: Small Unit User Computer
1.) I tried to find out from the information center. They referred me to Bob Shire. I called Mr. Shire, and he stated that…
At this point, the 7th Signal command does not need a small multi-user computer. Our present system is underutilized, and we have a long way to go before we are saturated.
I sent an email message to close out the suspense. I also gave a copy of the message to Bob Shire.
Wow! I could not get one extra computer for my unit because the one we already had was underutilized! That was okay with me because I did not use a computer back then besides using the new technology to send email. (it was, after all, underutilized). But this poses a question that I had to think about. What the hell was everyone doing without access to computers and the Internet?
An NPR show posed this exact question not long ago. I had to think deeply about those times. I sat in an office behind a desk. File cabinets were nearby, and my number one tool was the telephone. If I was not on the phone, I dug through files or typed up documents. I cannot think of much else I did before the ubiquity of computers. In the military, at least, reports of all types were a big deal. Fashioning and distributing those reports were a large portion of the job.
For those of you who sit behind a computer all day, regardless of your job, replace your computer with a typewriter and a landline phone. There is nothing you can do on a computer right now that you can’t do on a landline and a typewriter. (Mostly). Document creation, communication and collaboration, and information management could be done.
But today’s technology has marked advantages. For example, it speeds up typing and editing and increases the speed of communications, especially with large amounts of information. Data processing and analysis in real time was not even imagined in 1992 (by regular people). It also provides access to information, breaking the barriers of libraries’ physical limitations. And then, we have automation and integration; doing tasks manually requires a lot of manpower and effort, so today’s workers are much more efficient.
In general, a typewriter and a landline phone could handle many of the tasks performed today by computers, particularly in terms of basic document creation and communication. However, the efficiency, speed, and capability of performing these tasks are significantly enhanced with the advent of computers and modern technology. While the fundamental tasks remain similar, the methods and tools have evolved, providing far greater convenience and productivity. We know that, but sometimes it is good to be reminded how far we have come in a short time.
