Over the years–from 8″x8″ floppies, to 3.5″ floppies, to CDs and DVDs, to USB flash drives

Posted on October 13, 2008
Filed Under Information, Thoughts | Viewed 200 times

25 years ago, in my old office, we didn’t know what a desktop computer was at that time. We were happy with our electric typewriters—typing away our bosses’ handwritten kilometric reports drafted in yellow paper. Revisions were made using correction tapes and fluid, often times combined with literally cutting and pasting words and phrases. We had to be innovative back then, carefully cutting the words or phrases with precision, either with a pair of scissors or a cutter and ruler, then pasting them where they should be placed. As I was not a typist nor had I any formal training for secretarial work, my work had always been a challenge in the first few years. Unlike my colleagues whose work was almost always flawless, mine was sprinkled with white spots and white erasures in many places. I would even forget myself and type way past the edge of the paper, then I would have to repeat my work.

Imagine yourself now—if you were in my place?

Office workers nowadays are lucky, and you know what I mean.

Where in the world at that time would you find a medical technologist working in an international development organization as a secretary, doing heavy secretarial work—typing not only reports but complicated tables as well, transcribing audio tapes, looking after the bosses’ needs, and many many more. It was maybe pure luck that I got accepted in this prestigious organization, while with the many local firms that I applied for work, I always flunked the typing and dictation tests, in this organization, I passed—barely reaching the minimum speed. My IQ test results just pulled me through. With perseverance and hard work, and after finishing my fertile and birth giving years, I later shifted to a different job stream, as a project analyst, doing accounting and contracting work, reviewing financial documents, and doing project implementation and administration work.

Smart, eh?

Going back to the typewriter years, we would carry a manual typewriter when we went on missions (assignments outside the country). At that time, pulling or carrying a manual typewriter on a stroller with wheels was a something to brag about. I forgot why we did not trust the hotel typewriters at that time, or it could be also because most of the time we would be moving from one city to another.

That is why, part of our luggage was a set of secretarial tools—tons of correction fluid, magic tape, a pair of scissors, a cutter, ruler, and a good quality ballpen to write last minute revisions in a handwriting that best matches the typewritten form. Again, I flunked in this score. While on mission, we would complete all our reports, aide memoire, memorandum of understanding, or what have you, supposedly at maximum speed, with very limited time. Imagine having to work through the day and night, revising, cutting and pasting, and finalizing these documents.

What pressure!

A few years later, the office started to buy desk top computers. A computer room with about 10 computers was set, and we—a pool of about a hundred secretaries, had to take turns using them. We had to book in advance, and in case we had to do urgent work, we had to ask out bosses to intervene. The computer room has become an alibi at times to be away from the work station, sometimes the boss called looking for us, and we were not there.

And look at the diskette—yes, it is an 8” x 8” floppy diskette. You have to give the diskette a name, you have to encode the name of the diskette before you could open it. If you forgot the name, sorry, you could not open it. And you could store only a few files, as memory was not as big as the diskette was.

The 8” x 8” diskette reminds me of bell bottom pants and chanel skirts.

Again, a few more years, the diskette has become smaller, 3.5” x 3.5”. Two desk top computers were distributed to each department, then to each division. Back then, about 6 people would be taking turns, unlike when one had to deal with a hundred. With this set up, one’s real character would show—if one were accommodating, insensitive to others, or nice. The words and numbers on the monitor were green against a black background. In the evenings in my sleep, or even if I just closed my eyes, I would see green, the numbers and letters flowing in a sea of black, becoming a nightmare at times.

Oh, to see green at this time

when I have become a blue fanatic would have been very difficult for me (lol).

Afterwards, it has become easier—we had the time of our lives. We had one desktop computer each, and regularly we either had upgrades in hardware and software or a complete change of computers. For bank missions we had our notebooks—remember the heavy version of think pads? All we had to carry were boxes of 3.5” x 3.5” diskettes, plus back ups of our documents, as we always had to wrestle with viruses and computer breakdowns.

Then came the flat screens monitors, the high powered desk tops, and the use of CDs and DVDs. Until recently before I took early retirement, we were amazed with lighter notebooks, the USB flash drivers, and of course, wireless connection. Going on missions has become easier, so was writing and finalizing the various reports that we had to complete before going back home, no matter how long or how complicated they have become in recent years. Content was different of course. An added bonus was being able to listen to music and watch movies on DVD.

The CDs, DVDs and USB flash drives remind me of sexy short shorts and skinny pants.

I can’t imagine—what’s next?

photocredits from yahoo images: typewriter—www.redferret.net, tyeping tools—redmeg8 on Flickr, 8”x8”—programujte.com, 3.5”x3.5”—www.itbutikken.dk, CD—akolmetz on Flickr, usb flash drive—www.uwnyc.org

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Comments

3 Responses to “Over the years–from 8″x8″ floppies, to 3.5″ floppies, to CDs and DVDs, to USB flash drives”

verns on October 13th, 2008 3:10 pm

haha…gone are the days.

I guess my high school years were more primitive. I was already in HS when DOS/Wordstar was introduced. Then when I reached college, one of my minor subject was Office Practice which required us to use the typewriter with a blindfold. My classmates and I were saying that the subject was pointless because at that time everybody’s using a computer already. I think they changed the curriculum after our year.

But looking back it was a fun subject. During exams you can hear people say “aray” all the time and the classroom would be filled with giggles and laughter hehe Good thing I didn’t flunk that subject. My fingers seemed to have a mind of their own…always hitting the wrong letters.
Tom on October 15th, 2008 8:08 am

Those were the days.

When our company started buying computers decades ago, the ratio was one department one computer. And, in our department, there were four sections with more than 20 employees. Each section was allotted an hour in the morning and an hour in afternoon.

Now, it’s one employee one computer.
lady cess on October 17th, 2008 9:55 am

oh yes, paper work sure is easy nowadays. i still remember how my hands hurt after hours of using a big typewriter for a school project. and there were 2 colors too – black and red to spice up the look