The Impact of Computers & Information Technology on our lives

    Computer are devices which are used in everyday applications such as accounting, banking, keeping records & communications. They are very fast, inexpensive & easy to use. About 30 years ago no common man could even dream of owning a computer and had a very different view of computers as we have today. They were very expensive, large & slow compared to today's machines. In those days only big multi-national companies and governments could afford to buy and mantain such big units.

    Computer technology has advanced a lot during the last 25-30 years. They have become more smaller & cheaper due to the advent of Integrated Circuits (IC's). This significantly affected the size & speed of the computer. Due to this multi-tasking was made possible. Nowadays computers are used in offices to keep employee information, payroll processing, composing documents, making presentations, etc. Computers can also be used to make graphics. In the home people use it for playing games, composing invoices, documents,etc. With the more popularity of the CD-ROM technology encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, magazines, records, etc. have started to come in the CD-ROM format. You can get what information you with the click of a button. Voice-recognition systems have also been developed which means we have no need to type any more, we just dictate it to the computer and it corrects any pronounciation error we might make. These advantages added to the advent of networking & internet have made computers a lot more popular, especially during the last 10 years. Our age is also known as the "Digital Revolution".

    Computers can be found just anywhere in shops, hotels, fast food outlets, offices, etc. Nowadays they are also coming in cars. The new car models purchased probably contain at least one computer. Mercedes-Benz S-Class models contain 35 to 40 computers. These cars engine power can be enhanced just by upgrading the engine controlling software. The first computer that was introduced in cars is the Electronic Fuel Injection (EFi). This controls the fuel consumption of the engine and reduces it greatly and ensures smooth driving. Local manufacturers are also making use of these systems. The Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla 1.6 GLi all usually come with EFi. Recently Pak-Suzuki also added EFi to their new Baleno 1.3 litre car.

    They are also present in audio and video systems. The latest systems are fully digital. Audio CD players work entirely on microchips and they are easier to use than cassetes. LCD players also work on the same technology as CD players. TV sets also contain a number of microchips to control all the functions. The telecommunication system has been hit most by this "Digital Revolution". This is mainly because of the more widespread of the internet. Phones also contain microchips in which it stores numbers. It helps in diailing and makes sure there is no mis-dialing. Cameras with Auto-focus also contain microchips, which helps the camera to focus the lens.

    The internet has changed our lives dramatically. It has made communication more easy. You can chat with friends, make an international phone call for a charge of a local call, have discussions, send e-mail and get all the information you need. E-mail is a very fast and more reliable source of sending messages. We can get the latest information from the internet. We can buy clothes from a designer in France, order books, read magazine articles, download documents, etc. all over the internet.

    In the years preceeding 1990 there was a Data Processing (DP) era in computing. This area was built around storage of data and processing it to produce useful information in an organized manner. In this decade there was the advent of the internet and fast communication. This changed the era into the Information Technology (IT) era. Infomation Technology can be defined as the study of information handling and its use in society by means of modern technology. This includes the aquisition, processing, storage and communication of information in any form by appropriate means. Within Information Technology there is an identifiable body of subject content, skills and activities. This common core is transferable and has wide application in society . This era is here to stay a long while and has a very bright future.

    In the most advanced countries the demand for IT specialists is more than the supply and it is one of the most highly paid jobs in this industry. The starting salary for such specialists is around the US $20,000 - US $30,000 per month mark and people with more than 10 years experience are being paid upto US $75,000. Many multi-national companies need an IT manager to handle the infrastructure of the companies systems and there is where MIS (Management Information Systems) managers come in. This post is also a relatively high paying post and as IT specialists the demand for MIS is also increasing.

    In our country, Pakistan, computers are relitavely new and most people are not computer-literate. Computer Studies as a course was added to the Secondary School Examinations just 4 or 5 years ago and reputed institutions do not have the facilties and resources to support a computer lab because of the lack of funds. Local banks still do not have automated accounting systems. Most households still cannot afford a computer but due to the recent decrease in prices of computer perhipherals more people are buying a computer. Pakistan has a literacy rate of 36.7% so most people cannot afford a proper house, let alone a computer. This factor is depriving the people of a resource they deserve and our country is being left behind in the technology race. This affects the development of the country greatly. The standard of computer education is not good. The institutions do not have the faculty to teach computers and do not have a comprehensive and up-to-date course which results in good students losing precious years of their careers and under-employment. To combat this, the education system must be fixed and the courses should be updated on a yearly basis.

    Nowadays, people are realising the need of being computer literate and more and more institutions are being setup that offer diplomas and certificates which have no real meaning but they show the awareness that has been generated in the society. Government of Pakistan, in its 1998-99 budget, announced that 30% of the import tax on computer perhipherals has been exempted. This added to the fact that government has agreed to provide a number of institutions with computers tells us that the government is also becoming aware of this fact that for the development of the country it is necessary for the population to be computer literate. Yearly exhibitions are organized by the Computer Society of Pakistan where all the dealers are invited to exhibit their systems. This allows the general public who are interested in computers access to the latest technology in computing. An institute has recently been setup in Karachi called the Karachi Institute of Information Technology (KIIT) which is in collabration with the University Of Huddersfield, a very reputed university of the UK especially in the computer science field. This allows our students to recieve up-to-date and comprehensive education which will be accepted through out the world. Another institution known as the Asia-Pacific Institute of Information Technology-Pakistan (APIIT-PAK) has been established. This institution is affiliated with about 14 universities of the world.  This field is slowly turning into a business field with a bright future. The Karachi University has also extended its computer related facilities.

    Overall there is a bright future of computers in the whole world. If we even have to compete in this race we must brush up and start learning about computers. The Government of Pakistan must intoduce more steps to promote computers and it should try to improve its education system. A policy of the government known as National Information Policy has been introduced and some taxes on computer related products have been lowered. The promotion of software engineering has also been introduced, but this is just a start. The government should introduce more steps and setup more institutions for this purpose.

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