Rip Van Digital awakes to a software hangover
Article Abstract:
Software development has failed to keep pace with the hardware development that has taken place in the period ranging from the early 1980's to the mid- 1990's. The 120MHz, 32-bit Pentium compares favorably to the 4.77MHz, 8-bit 8088 chip, and internal hard disks store 1GB of data, compared to the 160KB floppy disks of the past. CD-ROMs allow users to store 700MB on a single disk, while color monitors offer large, crisp displays. Stereo sound has replaced tinny speakers, and high-speed modems connect users around the world. On the other hand, the long-promised voice recognition and handwriting-recognition software remain in development. DOS is still used, even in Windows 95, which also retains three-letter extensions, although it now hides them from users. Multitasking still remains more of a promise than an executable function. Most software is poorly-planned, slow, plagued by bugs and difficult to use.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1995
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Virus fighters on 24-hour global guard
Article Abstract:
The Symantec Antivirus Research Center in Santa Monica, California is the hub of antivirus research being conducted in the United States. The lab receives thousands of diskettes containing viruses and Symantec software engineers pore over each file finding ways to prevent the virus from spreading. This type of research has become particularly important to computer users as viruses become more and more sophisticated and thus potentially harmful to computers and computer networks.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1999
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