“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”
Computers changed everything, and they did it fast. These quotes track the digital revolution from early wonder to modern dependence, with observations from programmers, technologists, and people still trying to figure out why their printer will not work.
“I know so many people who actually just watch television on their computers now and don't even really watch their TV anymore.”
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”
“Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading manuals without the software.”
“This is what customers pay us for - to sweat all these details so it's easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We're supposed to be really good at this. That doesn't mean we don't listen to customers, but it's hard for them to tell you what they want when they've never seen anything remotely like it.”
“My whole life had been designing computers I could never build.”
“Computers may save time but they sure waste a lot of paper. About 98 percent of everything printed out by a computer is garbage that no one ever reads.”
“One of the biggest challenges we had in the first decade was not that many people had personal computers. There weren't that many people to sell to, and it was hard to identify them.”
“Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog.”
“In fact, technology has been the story of human progress from as long back as we know. In 100 years people will look back on now and say, 'That was the Internet Age.' And computers will be seen as a mere ingredient to the Internet Age.”
“The basis of computer work is predicated on the idea that only the brain makes decisions and only the index finger does the work.”
“There is a real danger that computers will develop intelligence and take over. We urgently need to develop direct connections to the brain so that computers can add to human intelligence rather than be in opposition.”
“Today, computers are almost second nature to most of us.”
“The technological revolution at home makes it much easier for computers to do our work.”
“I am of the very last generation who didn't have computers at school. As we grow old we'll become something of an aberration.”
“Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done.”
“You have riches and freedom here but I feel no sense of faith or direction. You have so many computers, why don't you use them in the search for love?”