The Silicon Jungle by David H. Rothman
1. =The canary-in-the-mine= theory of labor relations. Ergonomics is
people, too, not just machines, and you’ll read here of better ways to
work with both.
Chapters
- Chapter 1 Ch.1
- Chapter 7 and Backup VII, you’ll learn (1) the basics, (2) when charts Ch.2
- Chapter 12, “How I Found ‘God’ on MCI (and a Few Other Odds and Ends Ch.3
- 1. Bigger RAMs can work with more and larger numbers—a handy capability Ch.4
- 2. More RAM can accommodate programs more complicated for the computer. Ch.5
- 3. You may want the most sophisticated software to thwart computer Ch.6
- 1. You can quickly make safety copies of valuable disks—something that’s Ch.7
- 2. You can more easily work with long electronic documents. Ch.8
- 1. Absence of bugs. The software maker should have gotten all the bugs Ch.9
- 2. General ease of use. A program should be easy enough to learn _and_ Ch.10
- 3. Good documentation. The manual should be clear and logically Ch.11
- 4. Usefulness to beginners and old pros alike. You can adjust the best Ch.12
- 5. Speed. It lets you do your job fast, especially when you use it with Ch.13
- 6. Power. Related to speed. The program can quickly accomplish Ch.14
- 7. Fewer chances for botch-ups. Good programs limit the chances for Ch.15
- 8. The Jewish-uncle effect. Ideally, your software will slow you down or Ch.16
- 10. After-the-goof feedback. After you’ve botched up—and we all do Ch.17
- 11. Ability to customize. You or at least a software expert can Ch.18
- 12. Availability of “accessory” programs to make your original software Ch.19
- 13. Support. Ideally, the software seller will stand behind his product Ch.20
- 1. A =cursor= is just the marker on your screen—a blinking line, Ch.21
- 2. A =file= is an electronic version of a letter, report, or other Ch.22
- 3. A =control key= is what you start holding down to turn a letter or Ch.23
- 4. To =scroll= just means to move from place to place in your Ch.24
- 5. A =menu= lists commands on your screen. It can tell you how to Ch.25
- 6. A =block move= is the ability to move material from one part of Ch.26
- 8. A =search and replace= substitutes one word (or group of words) for Ch.27
- 1. When you work for a stuffy old bureaucracy that’s rich and afraid Ch.28
- 2. When you’re a procurement officer on probation. As they say, no Ch.29
- 3. When you want to dump the training problems in the manufacturer’s Ch.30
- 4. When you prefer an extra-large, extra-sharp screen and giant Ch.31
- 5. When you’re looking for a machine that will run special software Ch.32
- 1. It takes all of two or three minutes—maybe less—to copy a disk Ch.33
- 3. Computer users want to befriend others with similar machines so Ch.34
- 4. Many software companies overprice their wares. Yes, it’s expensive Ch.35
- 5. Some people in large companies think software houses don’t give Ch.36
- 6. Many software companies don’t offer enough guidance or other help. Ch.37
- 2. A file in a data base is the electronic version of a file drawer or Ch.38
- 3. A =field= is a category of fact like the amount of money spent on Ch.39
- 4. =Structure= is simply the way a record is set up. There are three big Ch.40
- 5. The EDIT command changes the contents of a data field. You can type Ch.41
- 6. A command to APPEND can add new records to your electronic filing Ch.42
- 7. =Sorting= lets you reshuffle records alphabetically, by date or other Ch.43
- 8. The LIST command tells dBASE II to flash across the screen the Ch.44
- 9. .AND. helps you narrow down the information you’re looking for or Ch.45
- 10. .OR. is another way to describe the desired facts. LIST FOR Ch.46
- 11. LIST FOR .NOT. SALE:PERSN = ‘BABBITT’ could help weed from view, or Ch.47
- 12. =Command files= are programs that tell the machine how to manipulate Ch.48
- 1. A large number of rows and columns. A spreadsheet of 254 rows and 65 Ch.49
- 2. Speed. “Even with a simple spreadsheet,” says Scharf, “someone might Ch.50
- 3. General simplicity and ease of use. In tricky places, does the Ch.51
- 4. Range of commands. Most spreadsheets nowadays let you easily move or Ch.52
- 5. The ability to do what-if tables. The best spreadsheets won’t just Ch.53
- 6. Easy consolidation of figures from different spreadsheets. That’s no Ch.54
- 7. =Natural order of recalculation.= Cells must influence the numbers in Ch.55
- 8. A useful =macro language=. Macros are combinations of commands that Ch.56
- 1. Deciding whether to hire a computer consultant. How much in your time Ch.57
- 2. Hiring and using a consultant. It isn’t just a matter of asking, Ch.58
- 3. Training employees. Don’t clutter your people’s minds with Ch.59
- 4. Working with your company’s data-processing people. Know which Ch.60
- 1. The computer company’s FORTRAN, according to Stewart, was as badly Ch.61
- 2. FORTRAN wasn’t as good as BASIC for micro data bases that stashed Ch.62
- 3. Brown was still basically a mainframer. And micro FORTRAN was Ch.63
- 3. “What’s the quality of the work? Ch.64
- 1. Who’s teaching? Can he or she communicate well with the students, and Ch.65
- 3. Why is the material taught? To make your people computer literate in Ch.66
- 4. When do the students learn? On their time or yours? Will you reward Ch.67
- 5. Where is the learning happening? Ideally, your students can take the Ch.68
- 6. How do the students learn? Through instruction manuals, mainly, or Ch.69
- 1. Even the best-intentioned companies may fail miserably in easing some Ch.70
- 2. The traits which make somebody valuable to his company _may_ be the Ch.71
- 3. At the same time you can’t stereotype anyone—by age, folksiness, or Ch.72
- 4. An important part of training is simple salesmanship—persuading the Ch.73
- 5. Don’t make computerization seem more threatening than it has to be. Ch.74
- 6. As early as possible start people on real projects. The first day at Ch.75
- 2. Helped them with some learning aids like color-coded keys showing Ch.76
- 3. Motivated them by explaining how their new computer skills would make Ch.77
- 1. Before approaching Data Processing, ask who-how questions about the Ch.78
- 2. Ask your informal Data-Processing contact about possible technical Ch.79
- 3. When you’re ready to deal with the Data-Processing manager, tell Ch.80
- 4. Make it clear you’re aware of your project’s complications. Ch.81
- 1. =The canary-in-the-mine= theory of labor relations. Ergonomics is Ch.82
- 3. =“Terminal” happiness.= Detachable keyboards are just a start, Ch.83
- 7. =Air conditioning, heating, and ventilation=—basics neglected by a Ch.84
- 8. Honest assurances to your people that you’re exposing them to the Ch.85
- 9. A willingness to consider alternatives to the TV-like CRTs that Ch.86
- 10. Sensible use of wrinkles like the mouse—the hand-sized gizmo you use Ch.87
- 11. A related ingredient, good software—the topic of earlier chapters. Ch.88
- 2. How far the keyboard platform protrudes from the platform on which Ch.89
- 4. The angle at which the screen faces you. You can swivel away to your Ch.90
- 5. The height of your chair. You don’t of course need high-tech Ch.91
- 1. Removing half the tubes from existing fluorescent fixtures. You’ll Ch.92
- 2. Parabolic fluorescent fixtures with baffles to keep the light out of Ch.93
- 3. Parawedge louvers, which, according to Eisen, “have been particularly Ch.94
- 4. Desk and floor lamps. You might buy rheostats you can plug in between Ch.95
- 5. Indirect lighting. The disadvantage is the expense. You may have to Ch.96
- 1. Coatings or etching applied during manufacture of the video displays. Ch.97
- 2. Coatings put on after manufacture. Generally, but not always, they Ch.98
- 3. “Colored plastic panels and etched faceplates,” which, says Eisen, Ch.99
- 4. Micromesh filters, favored by German ergonomists. Eisen says U.S. Ch.100
- 5. Polarizing filters. They may reduce brightness and shorten tube life, Ch.101
- 1. There is a possibility, extra-slim, but still there, that Ch.102
- 2. More minor physical and mental problems from computers definitely do Ch.103
- 6. The possibility of a detached retina Ch.104
- 3. Guarding your electronic files Ch.105
- 1. Burden programmers and others with electronic versions of heavy Ch.106
- 2. Keep their computer systems easy to use—and vulnerable. (“Then you’re Ch.107
- 3. Compromise. (“You get half raped.”) Ch.108
- 1. How hard, exactly, would it be to puzzle out? Just how many Ch.109
- 2. How compatible is the program with your computer? If security is so Ch.110
- 3. Is the security program easy to use? If it’s too hard, it’ll be Ch.111
- 4. Are you certain the program won’t jeopardize the accuracy and Ch.112
- 5. Should you expand your system, will the security software be able to Ch.113
- 6. Do you want a =public key= encryption system? It works this way. You Ch.114
- 7. Will your code be based on the =Data Encryption Standard= (=DES=), Ch.115
- 1. See if your disk has a file at least 500 or 600 words long. If so, Ch.116
- 3. Erase A. Ch.117
- 1. Zealously enforce a no-drinking, no-eating policy around disks, at Ch.118
- 2. Remember the Rothman Dirt Domino Theory. Dirt, dust, and grease often Ch.119
- 3. Realize that floppies don’t always mix well with office materials Ch.120
- 4. Know about other natural enemies of floppies or at least of the data Ch.121
- 5. Don’t even let your floppies rest against your computer’s screen, Ch.122
- 6. Remember that the more information you can pack on a floppy, the more Ch.123
- 7. Clean your disk heads. Don’t use rubbing alcohol. “Try something like Ch.124
- 8. Have head alignment checked, to reduce disk errors. With heads out of Ch.125
- 9. Buy quality disks. Of course, the more you spend on disks, the more Ch.126
- 1. Every five minutes or so, type out the “KS” or an equivalent and dump Ch.127
- 2. Every half an hour make a printout of your recent work. With a fast Ch.128
- 3. Every day make your backup floppy. You might forget about the scratch Ch.129
- 1. Dumping to floppies. It’s cheap but slow. Then again, you can speed Ch.130
- 2. Transferring the Winchester’s contents to a special tape drive large Ch.131
- 3. Dumping to an ordinary videocassette recorder. Although slow, it’s Ch.132
- 1. How much time or money does it take to enter your data or set up your Ch.133
- 3. How much time or money do you have for copying, cleaning, Ch.134
- 1984. Many more companies might be. They might have kept quiet, however, Ch.135
- 1. The cottage keyers are paying more than $2,600 a year to rent their Ch.136
- 3. Likewise, the cottage keyers lack the normal fringe benefits. The Ch.137
- 4. The keyers may not be sharing the experiment’s rewards fifty-fifty. Ch.138
- 1. Ease and speed of use. You needn’t be a computer expert or wrestle Ch.139
- 2. Friendliness. A good system isn’t just easy to use; it’s also boy Ch.140
- 4. Confidentiality. Clerks aren’t privy to the same information as the Ch.141
- 1985. They’d be able to place mutual-fund orders for clients, conduct Ch.142
- 1. Lower phone bills. In a Midwestern office of the H. J. Heinz Company, Ch.143
- 2. Elimination of telephone tag. “We can type a memo at the end of our Ch.144
- 3. An end to garbled messages. Errors and misunderstandings decline when Ch.145
- 4. More efficient sharing of ideas. =Computer conferencing= is an Ch.146
- 1. How long a Kaypro took to sort dBASE II files electronically while Ch.147
- 3. How long a second Kaypro needed to sort the dBASE files in the first Ch.148
- 1. How extensive do you want your network’s file-sharing capabilities to Ch.149
- 2. Who’ll manage the network? Who’ll determine who can see what Ch.150
- 3. Do you want to assign special network-related duties to other people? Ch.151
- 4. Who will work at what =node=? That’s jargon for a location or =work Ch.152
- 5. Will some people share work stations? If so, you’d better decide Ch.153
- 7. How many printers and other gizmos will people share, and where will Ch.154
- 8. What kinds of computers are you planning to hook up? The WEB as of Ch.155
- chapter 11, but subject to court approval, would be bought by a Swedish Ch.156
- 1. If your computer messes up, remember the very last thing you did, Ch.157
- 2. See if that isn’t the answer to your problem. Ch.158
- 1. Know your prices. Study the want ads of the local papers. There’s Ch.159
- 2. Pay attention to the machine’s physical condition. A banged-up Ch.160
- 3. Find out how your pet programs run. If you don’t have any available Ch.161
- 5. Find out what generation of equipment it is. Does it include all Ch.162
- 6. Learn where you stand legally if you’re buying software with the Ch.163
- 7. Call up commercial auctioneers and find out if they’re holding any Ch.164
- 8. Obviously you’ll want to consider a maintenance agreement with a Ch.165
- 1. Another daisy wheel machine. The daisy wheel is plastic or metal and Ch.166
- 2. A =laser printer=. Typically, it works a bit like some copying Ch.167
- 3. A =thermal-transfer printer=. This uses patterns of heat to arrange Ch.168
- 4. An =ink-jet printer=. This kind literally squirts ink against the Ch.169
- 1. =Draft quality.= The letters are too dotty for anything but drafts Ch.170
- 2. =Correspondence quality.= It’ll do for a letter to a forgiving friend Ch.171
- 3. =Near-letter quality.= You can get away with it for book manuscripts, Ch.172
- 4. =Letter quality.= That’s typewriter quality. Ch.173
- 1. Does the printer offer them no matter what computer or program you Ch.174
- 3. For free, will the store modify your computer system to make the Ch.175
- 4. Will your desired combinations of features work simultaneously? Ch.176
- 2. If not, can the store make one up for you? At what cost? Ch.177
- 1. The general logic of the manual. The author should have written it Ch.178
- 2. The quality of the index. I’ll charitably assume it’s there to begin Ch.179
- 3. Simplicity of vocabulary and sentence structure. A manual shouldn’t Ch.180
- 1. The field may only contain certain numbers and/or letters—for Ch.181
- 2. The field will _enter itself_ based on your previous entries. For Ch.182
- 3. The field can be a constant. For example, if your data record Ch.183
- 4. The field can automatically shift cases for you. For example, you Ch.184
- 5. The field can insist that whatever you type in is identical two Ch.185
- 6. The field can be required—something that you _have_ to enter, or Ch.186
- 1. Does the program help you come up with pies, bars, or whatever kind Ch.187
- 2. Can it do so as quickly as possible? Ch.188
- 3. Does the program fit in well with your other software? Ch.189
- 4. How much memory space does the program—and the electronic files of Ch.190
- 5. What about the program’s color capabilities—both on screen and on Ch.191
- 6. Does the program coexist okay with the printer or plotter you own or Ch.192
- 7. How easy is the program to learn? What about the other general traits Ch.193
- 1. “Who?” Who from the contracting firm is doing the work? A junior Ch.194
- 2. “What?” Describe the task as clearly and precisely as possible. And Ch.195
- 3. “When?” Can you negotiate a penalty if the firm misses a deadline? Ch.196
- 4. “Where?” Will the consultants do the work in your office? Theirs? On Ch.197
- 5. “How much?” Obvious. Ch.198
- 1. Thinking small. Don’t bargain over the Who-How simply for the whole Ch.199
- 2. Making the consultant give you the source code of the new software. Ch.200
- 3. Insisting that any manuals for his software be complete and in plain Ch.201
- 4. Bargaining if possible for a software warranty. Then, if you discover Ch.202
- 5. Possibly requiring the consultant to give you a discount on Ch.203
- 6. Negotiating for full or part ownership of the software he may develop Ch.204
- 7. Forbidding the consultant from selling the new software to your Ch.205
- 8. Making the consultant pledge that he won’t violate any trade-secret Ch.206
- 9. Hammering out a confidentiality agreement, if necessary, to protect Ch.207
- 10. Making the consultant agree in writing that he is working as your Ch.208
- 11. Trying to write into the contract your right to a full explanation Ch.209
- 12. Remembering that there’s only so much protection the law can give, Ch.210
- 13. Choosing the right lawyer, if you can afford one, for the contract. Ch.211
- 1. Is the convenience worth the extra several hundred dollars you’ll be Ch.212
- 3. How do the windows look alongside each other? Do they =overlap=, just Ch.213
- 4. How about =data transfer=? If you move information from one Ch.214
- 5. What kind of graphics—=bit mapped= or =character based=? The bit Ch.215
- 6. Will the window program work with ordinary software or just products Ch.216
- 7. Will the windows at least slightly slow down some programs? A word Ch.217
- 8. Is the program picky about the computers it’ll work with? A window Ch.218
- 9. Does the program require a mouse—the gadget you roll on your disk to Ch.219
- 1. Communicate teletype-fashion with the other person. You can keep Ch.220
- 2. Call up electronic bulletin-board systems (BBSs) or plug into The Ch.221
- 3. Get copies of other programs that altruistic computer buffs have Ch.222
- 1. Start out with the other person’s modem set on ORIGINATE and yours on Ch.223
- 3. Hit your carriage-return key. Ch.224
- 6. Assuming you’re using a manual modem, flick the switch to “data.” Ch.225
- 3. Hit your return. Ch.226
- 1. From MODEM7’s main menu, you select =T= and again hit the return a Ch.227
- 2. Find out if the other person can read words you type. (Don’t worry if Ch.228
- 3. Tell him (or her) to set up his computer so that, on paper or on a Ch.229
- 4. Once the other person is ready—while you’re still in the =T= mode—hit Ch.230
- 5. Now you type =B:[name of file]=. Here and elsewhere don’t type the Ch.231
- 6. Next hit your return. The disk should start spinning, and both you Ch.232
- 2. Again, select your trusty =T= from the main menu. But don’t hit your Ch.233
- 4. Type =B:[the name of the file you’re creating on the data disk to Ch.234
- 6. Then hit the letter =Y= with your finger on the control key Ch.235
- 8. Then, to preserve the file, “writing” to your disk, you must type out Ch.236
- 2. From MODEM7’s main menu, type =S B:[name of the data disk file you Ch.237
- 3. Hit the return. Ch.238
- 3. Hit your return. Ch.239
- 2. Type the word TYPE, then a space, then the name of the file—preceded Ch.240
- 3. Then hit your return. Ch.241
- 4. Hit your return. Ch.242
- 3. Tap =Control-B=. Ch.243
- 4. Type the right number (300 for 300 baud, 1200 for 1,200; do not use Ch.244
- 5. Hit your return. Ch.245