It is certainly a fact that we are in a transitional state in the computing world. But there is some rhetoric floating around that in my mind, is pure nonsense. On one side the argument states that we are in a Post PC world and that the PC is dead, the other side states that the PC era is just beginning.
Me? I say the debate is useless, and irrelevant. Why? because it is the job that matters, not the name.
Thirty years ago, if you were a family of five and loaded up with camping or cottage gear, you probably drove a station wagon. Today? probably a minivan or a sport utility vehicle. So what? The name we tag the vehicle with has changed, but its job of transporting five people and a lot of stuff has not.
The job of one type of vehicle is to transport five people, the job of another vehicle is to carry full sheets of dry-wall, tools, and materials. We call that second vehicle a truck right now, will we still call it that in a hundred years time? Who knows, and who cares? In a hundred years time vehicles could look like something from a science fiction film like Star Wars – but whatever its name may be, it will still need to carry materials and tools.
Computing is the same
Some devices will have the job to display information of certain types and formats, others will have the job of creating the software code, or creating the engineering drawings and specifications for other devices.
The names we call these devices is irrelevant. So don’t waste your time and breath on the debate.
So next time someone tries to drag you into that debate, tell them it is a stupid one, because there is nothing in the name. It is the job that counts.
Photo Credit Owens Valley Desert Rat via flickr