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The average person could run a spreadsheet. They could use a word processor. They could run a windowed operating system in color. They could learn to program. T

by sien 11y ago

The average person could run a spreadsheet. They could use a word processor. They could run a windowed operating system in color. They could learn to program. They could play games. They could paint in color on a computer. They could compose music on a computer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga Having used a 1985 computer like that it's actually a bit sad that now that we have computers and phones and tablets for $50 that are a thousand times more powerful than an Amiga but are not a hundred times more useful.

shkkmo 11y ago
I personally do find a smart phone 100 times more useful, but that depends on what you use it for. A modern smartphone contains so many different sensors, combined with high-speed mobile access to the information and processing power of the intent that it has a pretty amazing range of capabilities (even if most of those are rarely used).
Houshalter 11y ago
I just realised that HN was the worst possible place to leave that comment. I have no doubt there were many applications for computers in 1980s, and many home users. It just seems far less useful to the average person. How many people actually use spreadsheets outside of a business context? Or write music, or program, etc. Games and word processing seem like they would be the best application. But there were specialized consoles and word processing machines at the time that were cheaper and better for those tasks.
- coldtea 11y ago
  >Games and word processing seem like they would be the best application. But there were specialized consoles and word processing machines at the time that were cheaper and better for those tasks. No, there weren't. Compared to Amiga and Atari, there were no competitive home game consoles around (until around 1989 or so at least). And of course "word processing machines" were not better in any way. Professional writers (writers, journalists, people writing scientific papers, scriptwriters, etc) were buying PCs for word processing, not any dedicated "word processing machines" (which were just electric typewriters with an LCD and some crude software).
- cableshaft 11y ago
  I used spreadsheet software all the time back then, and used it basically as an early InDesign. Change cell shapes (to pixel precision), add borders to parts of the cell but not others, add no borders to a group of cells to make a giant text box, etc. Main thing I designed back then was character sheets for ADnD, but I designed other things as well. And those character sheets were super elaborate for the time. I wouldn't qualify as the 'average user' though, granted.

by sien 11y ago

shkkmo 11y ago

I personally do find a smart phone 100 times more useful, but that depends on what you use it for. A modern smartphone contains so many different sensors, combined with high-speed mobile access to the information and processing power of the intent that it has a pretty amazing range of capabilities (even if most of those are rarely used).

Houshalter 11y ago

I just realised that HN was the worst possible place to leave that comment. I have no doubt there were many applications for computers in 1980s, and many home users. It just seems far less useful to the average person. How many people actually use spreadsheets outside of a business context? Or write music, or program, etc. Games and word processing seem like they would be the best application. But there were specialized consoles and word processing machines at the time that were cheaper and better for those tasks.

coldtea 11y ago
>Games and word processing seem like they would be the best application. But there were specialized consoles and word processing machines at the time that were cheaper and better for those tasks. No, there weren't. Compared to Amiga and Atari, there were no competitive home game consoles around (until around 1989 or so at least). And of course "word processing machines" were not better in any way. Professional writers (writers, journalists, people writing scientific papers, scriptwriters, etc) were buying PCs for word processing, not any dedicated "word processing machines" (which were just electric typewriters with an LCD and some crude software).
cableshaft 11y ago
I used spreadsheet software all the time back then, and used it basically as an early InDesign. Change cell shapes (to pixel precision), add borders to parts of the cell but not others, add no borders to a group of cells to make a giant text box, etc. Main thing I designed back then was character sheets for ADnD, but I designed other things as well. And those character sheets were super elaborate for the time. I wouldn't qualify as the 'average user' though, granted.