The reading for the second week focused on the history of computing and what components are involved in computers.
Probably the most that I took away from the readings were just how quickly things move forward, and how accurate Moore was in this prediciton. How could anyone have guessed over fifty years ago that I would be able to carry a 1Ghz processor around in my pocket (in the form of my android phone). Moore knew what the future of computing was huge, but it is crazy to look back on it to see that he was correct.
The other big point that I took away, and one that is important to our discussion of digitizaiton, is that because of Moore's Law and its accuracy, obsolescence is a huge problem. A file type, or a drive that is capable of accessing that file today, might not work a few years down the road. If this continues throughout the digital age (and we have no reason to believe it isn't going to) then all of the digitization efforts might be for naught.
I thought that the point about obsolescence was particularly interesting also. This is likely one of the most significant issues associated with digitization, and points to the impact of digitization upon the work of library and information professionals. While digitization enables easier access to content, maintaining that access will require technology that ensures compatibility between file types, software and hardware. This will likely mean growth in the fields of library technology.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more. As technology evolves, my concern is that the previous technologies will be obsolete, therefore causing a lot of people to waste money. The challenge is to create a system where we can develop new technologies, yet, still create a market for older technologies based on the principles of "Moores Law." How do you think this market of older technologies based on a current market of technologies can be obtained and maintained?
Adam Brody
Great point about digitization. Migration of files from format to format is one of the big issues in digitization. For now a PDF file of a rare manuscript might be fine, but it isn't searchable. Newer formats will come about that allow for better searching and data mining and what do we do with those PDFs? Migrating them to another format is time consuming and expensive, then again, so is re-digitizing the manuscript in the new format.
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