Interview with a User of Preceding Writing Media

I interviewed Alan Bates, previous executive secretary and current chief of media at Areva Inc. Richland, on the topic of his participation in the use of different writing media in the workplace. His work history is a very long one of document production and creation as a profession, not always on a computer of course. He has over thirty years of experience under his belt and has seen companies transition between mediums, often with much difficulty. As an exectutive worker in his departments, he has had to learn new media well in advance of company use, and therefore, has a large role in the training of coworkers in the use. On an average day he will have at least 25 people come into his office, needing something or his assistance.

Having an interview with Alan gives me the impression past media were good in their use, but it’s necessary to eventually use promising inventions. Being in the secretary and media departments for an extended time, he has seen his coworkers complain and attempt to slow technological evolution in the workplace (most likely for the protection of their old jobs). This is no surprise, because we see this time and time again more evidently in the evolution of writing media. He also describes computer use as, “indispensable part of daily life,” implying great benefit to those willing to learn. These changes don’t just occur though, it takes effort and help. Alan says that naturally, new technologies and media move towards efficiency and it’s easy to see how, given some of his responses below.

Daniel: What devices did you use before computers to write?

Alan: Pen, pencil, and a typewriter. The typewriter was an IBM Selectric - at first there was no correction capability, but eventually there was a correction tape version which made possible fixing typing errors.

Daniel: Helpful. How long did that take in comparison to computer typing though?

Alan: Pen and pencil was slow and painful - in that my hand would ache after writing for awhile. Many times I would be writing on a multipart form (NCR or carbon), that would take a fair amount of pen pressure to be able to read the writing on the last part of the form.

Daniel: Sounds much more difficult… So what complications were involved in this medium?

Alan: When typing on an IBM Selectric, before correction versions, I used white-out (correction fluid). If the document were a "legal document", it would have to be retyped from the beginning, as white-out was not allowed. If I took the page out of the typewriter and then noticed an error, there was the difficult process of trying to realign the text in the typewriter carriage - to attempt to use the correction capability of the typewriter. As time went by we started getting "memory" typewriters. These typewriters could store a limited number of keystrokes in the internal memory, thus retyping the page from memory and allowing corrections. Eventually, we got "Wang" typewriters or "Mag" typewriters that could store a number of pages of text and type them automatically (usually a document).

Daniel: What were the benefits of using those?

Alan: The IBM typewriter used a ribbon to produce a crisp impression (providing the ribbon was not worn out). Because the typewriter was an "impact" printer, it could type on multipart forms (usually NCR) - which is not possible even today with a laser printer. Dot matrix printers eventually replaced the typewriter, which are still in use today, partly because of their speed and partly because they are an impact printer for multipart forms.

Daniel: What situations are those typewriters still useful for, if any?

Alan: The typewriter has been replaced by the impact printer (usually dot matrix, though sometimes thermal) connected to a computer for printing. There are situations where the typewriter is still the only way to type on a multipart form.

Daniel: When and why did you switch to computers?

Alan: In 1981 I got my first personal computer at work. I started using a main frame computer in the mid 1970's with a "terminal" (no screen - thermal printer, keyboard, and telephone modem). I would call the main frame (large room-filling computer) on the telephone, and when I heard the tone - I would place the telephone handset in a cradle and the terminal would start responding. Everything was command language - no windows or GUI (graphical user interface). I took FORTRAN Programming, BASIC Programming, and other command level programming courses to help with process of developing computer applications.

Daniel: What else did computers replace in the workplace?

Alan: Some organizations specialized in things that are now performed primarily by computers, such as spell checking and grammar was performed by a technical writing/editing organization.

Daniel: In what ways are computers better, in general?

Alan: Computers provide most of what we consider to be modern conveniences and automated processes. Without computers and programs, we would be still in a very much manual mode for communication and data transmission. Computers provide real-time information in a cross-platform format, allowing groups of individuals to access information at the same time. On the flip side - computers have made us more dependent on computer chips with less ability to perform things manually. Additionally, some skills (i.e., drafting, calligraphy, etc.) are essentially a lost art because of the computer programs.

Daniel: Were computers just an upgrade in media or a revolutionary change?

Alan: In some ways, computers are merely tools to perform tasks - with the mind of the user still providing the creative direction. Programmers for today's software have done much of the thinking for the common end user. This can sometime give the impression that the end user is using creativity, when it was really conceived in the mind of the programmer.

Daniel: Overall are you happy with computers in the workplace?

Alan: Yes - computers are an indispensable part of daily life - from the chip that controls the car's parameters so the engine will start, to the chip that monitors the air handling unit of our HVAC system.