A BOX WITH A KEYBOARD
Dec 1, 1998 12:00 PM, Bob Bushnell
There is a prevailing assumption that computers have either reached their peak, or they will reach it soon. This assumption, however, is essentially incorrect; although computers are running faster, they are not necessarily running smarter. Such features as PCI bus (peripheral component import/export) and caching enhance the computer's operational speed, but they do not really alter the actual means by which a computer operates. For the foreseeable future, the computer will remain a box with a keyboard.
In fact, the computer field is still in a state of infancy. A small company called MITS introduced the Altair computer for hobbyists in 1974. The company lasted about two years. In 1977, Apple introduced the Apple II, and in 1979, Radio Shack introduced the TRS-80. In 1980, IBM introduced the first PC. Bear in mind that all of this happened approximately 20 years ago.
There are parallels in other industries. For example, Daimler developed the first practical four-wheel car in 1889. In 1910, 21 years later, Ford was in the second year of production for the Model T. Although the Model T was mechanically superior to Daimler's creation, the principles upon which they were both designed to function remained constant, and many of the basic elements inherent in automotive design are unchanged to this very day.
Expect some changes The computer industry is by no means static. Voice-recognition systems, when perfected, will increase computer flexibility. The same desktop computer will consequently recognize different voices when you enter your name or utter a code word. Basic voice-recognition systems are now available, but they are far from flawless. If, for example, you happen to suffer from a cold, your voice temporarily changes character, and with available technology, the computer will probably not recognize you.
Do not be the first to install a voice-recognition system. It would be a better idea to wait at least six months to a year. OCR (optical character recognition), experienced a similar phenomenon. During its initial incarnation, OCR software was more of a detriment, but over the last two years, it has improved. Those who waited for its complete development spared themselves quite a bit of hassle.
Admittedly, the basic nature of software will probably change at some point down the road, but do not hold your breath. The quantity of features available for word processors, spreadsheets and CAD applications have dramatically increased only because we demanded them. Radical change can only be fostered by popular demand.
Likewise, computers will run even faster than they do now. Today, 400 MHz machines are available, but five years ago, 50 MHz machines were the standard. Nevertheless, current design rests upon the foundation of serial processing, and improvements to processor speed came from refining this technology. Some companies are currently experimenting with parallel processing, which will probably be the next major change. Upon establishing its viability, parallel processing will usher in a new generation of computers with much higher processor speeds.
Not everything, however, will change for change's sake alone. Keyboard designs, for example, are not perched on the precipice of complete metamorphosis. The differences between the first QWERTY typewriter keyboards and the modern computer keyboard are relatively slight. The Dvorak keyboard, invented some 40 years ago, is considerably more efficient, but the QWERTY format is so widespread that the Dvorak will never enjoy the same popularity.
CAD systems and EDA CAD systems, a subset of EDA (electronic design automation), are becoming increasingly flexible, and to provide that additional flexibility, they have also become more complex. It will be several years, however, before you can draw using voice-recognition systems with your CAD application.
Consider, for example, the words necessary to draw a rectangle on screen. Assume the screen parameters, sheet size, and drawing scale have been established.
Begin by placing the rectangle. "Place rectangle four feet by five feet beginning location four and seven." That sentence is ambiguous only if you happened to use the wrong syntax. Parsing the sentence, the word "place" advises that an object-a box, line, text string, dimension line or title box-will be placed on screen. "Rectangle" establishes the object's identity. "Four feet by five feet" fixes the object's size, but remember that either the X dimension or the Y dimension is spoken first. "Beginning location" advises where the object will be placed on the sheet. "Four and seven" advises the location, but again, remember whether the X or Y reference is spoken first.
CAD options There are a number of CAD applications now on the market, most of which are compatible with Windows 95. When selecting a CAD application, there are three primary issues to consider-the usable operating system, menu configuration and file compatibility.
By a usable operating system, I mean Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT or Mac System 8.1. If you still use a DOS command structure, be aware that the number of applications that run under a DOS structure or Windows 3.1 is decreasing. Also, a given software company may state that its product is compatible with Windows 95, but it may run with a DOS-style menu structure. Determine the degree of compatibility with which the software actually runs.
AutoCAD, now in its 14th release, is a standard by which most other CAD applications are measured. It has two offspring-AutoCAD LT and Auto-Sketch. Because AutoCAD has been around since the days of the DOS command line, its menu structure does not exactly resemble Microsoft's. That same classic menu structure is used in AutoCAD LT and AutoSketch because there are thousands of draftsmen and engineers who learned by that system. AutoSketch and the latest version of AutoCAD LT provide the Microsoft menu structure as a built-in option.
Menu structure is an important issue because it will be your operating base. Drafting is much more than simply drawing lines; you draw circles, arcs, dimension lines, text, title blocks and cross-hatching. There is the need to move and change elements. If you do not know your way around the menu, you will waste time. Using one CAD application for block diagrams, one for schematics and another for presentations without sharing the same menu structure will limit speed and flexibility and increase frustration.
File compatibility is an obvious concern. Before purchasing new applications, check file compatibility with existing software. It might not hurt to verify file compatibility with other standards in the industry. Failure to consider file compatibility may mean that all older files will be rendered unreadable and therefore unusable. The ability to convert files is also useful, especially for sharing data with business associates who may be using a different application.
You will find many new CAD applications at friendly prices. Those three issues-usable operating system, menu configuration and file compatibility-should be taken into account when reviewing them for purchase and use. If the publisher has a demo version available, try it before before you buy. If you can buy it from the publisher with a money-back trial, so much the better.
These CAD applications, including AutoCAD LT, have list prices ranging from $900 to $350: AutoCAD LT, MiniCAD from Diehl Graphsoft, DynaCADD from Ditek Software, Fast CAD 32 from Evolution Computing, FelixCAD from FCAD, Imagineer Technical from Intergraph, TurboCAD from IMSI, Vdraft from Softsource, and IntelliCAD from Visio. Street prices will be less, depending on where you purchase it. Many publishers offer competitive upgrade prices; if you own a competing product, you will be offered the application at an upgrade price. Further, if you work in the academic field, you may be eligible for an academic price.
The Internet is a good place to start; it is rapidly becoming the only place to go. Egghead Software, for example, has closed its chain of retail stores in favor of using the Internet for all its marketing efforts.
System design tools The design tools' options facing the systems contractor are many. Smaart Pro, licensed by JBL Professional, and SpectraLAB, developed by Sound Technology, are two excellent examples of using the computer as the basis for design tools. Smaart Pro is divided into two sections-real time and analysis. The real-time section is for use with a measuring mic, and the analysis section is to be used with a WAV file. Lectrosonics has a group of applications including PAG/NAG equations in a pictorial format, and they are available at http://www.lectro.com under "Tech Info" and the "Product Lines/LecNet". The best of all worlds is the TDS (time delay spectrometry) principle, licensed to Crown International, developer of the first system and now sold by TEF Products, a division of Gold Line. The system connects to your computer. Not far behind is Iasys from AudioControl Industrial, which uses the TDS principle. The system is computer based, but it is entirely self contained.
Document import/export problems Document import/export problems, however, are not as simple of a matter. They can exist even within Microsoft Word operating on separate computers-20 different file formats are available in that program alone. This remains the case because there are many so word processing applications that are or have been on the market. Change to a later application comes slowly, although a given application may be out of date because of the same reason that the QWERTY keyboard is such a standard. Change is unnecessary when a current application meets a user's requirements.
CAD is a somewhat different story. AutoSketch will export a file using AutoCAD's DWG format, allowing importation into AutoCAD or AutoCAD Lite. It will not import a DWG file for additional work, and AutoCAD Lite will import and export a DWG file. You will also find that manufacturers of rack cabinets and similar devices are offering drawing files for their equipment, usually in DWG format. With a strictly in-house CAD application, you will not have much of a document import/export problem. If you are interfacing with the outside world, however, then standards, even de facto, are of concern.
In this short space, I have not begun to touch on every topic concerning the computer. Technology will continue to march steadily onward, leaving a heap of new products in its wake. It will fall upon your shoulders to sift through this pile and pick out those products that will inevitably prove valuable to the operation of your business. Before you set upon that task, however, make sure you have done your research.
Get on the Web! That is what most business people are hearing over and over again, but if you own or work in a small business, you might be wondering just how useful the Internet and a Web site would be. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Survey for 1998 indicates that 67% of small businesses have Web access, and 70% of them have four or fewer workers. In this way, the Web allows the little guy to have as much impact as the bigger guys. According to the data, the strongest areas for companies with Web sites are in answering questions for customers (63%) and finding potential customers and suppliers (49%). Placing orders (37%), conveying product information (30%) and receiving orders (29%) fall in right behind.
In this busy working world, there is little enough time for your customers to travel around and investigate options when it comes to the choices available in the A-V marketplace. With the Web, not only do your potential customers have the ability to ponder the options in privacy, but they can also do it away from high-pressure situations. Once a given product or service is located, a customer will want to visit the site run by the company to determine where it is available in his area. As a time saver, the Web is ideal because a user can browse at his leisure without becoming overwhelmed by the information. The tenor of your Web presentation should be designed to leave your potential customer with a feeling of confidence about what you are doing-it is all in the way the information is presented.
When designing your Web site, there are a few things to keep in mind. The most frequent mistake with Web-site development is cluttering with too many graphics, thereby slowing the download speed of information from the site. The more you place on your opening screen, the slower it will load. Avoid these mistakes by browsing other similar sites for ideas. Hiring a consultant to work on your Web design is not a bad idea either, provided the person or firm you choose comes with good references. The key here is as true as it is in any business venture-you get what you pay for. There are many people marketing themselves as Web designers and charging as little as $100 for a start-up site. Be careful not to throw your money away. Always check out the Web sites that your consultant did for other clients, and ask those clients how happy they are with the work.
Creating your own Web site is also an option. There are many good software packages out there to get you started, although for most, there will be a learning curve. Many companies prefer to leave the nuts and bolts to a professional and worry about the content.
Another issue comes with the domain name for your site. It is always better to register a domain name with the InterNIC (a company that establishes your exclusive right to your own name) so your customers will remember your name more easily. Your own domain name gives you more credibility, and it avoids longer access addresses that could thwart and confuse people.
Additionally, I cannot sufficiently stress the importance of linking your site to related industry sites. Linking your site with affiliated trade organizations, vendors, suppliers, satisfied customers, publications, other complementary contractors, installers or designers and A-V news groups is vital for fresh contacts. Appearing on the best-known search engines, such as Yahoo!, is also critical. It is relatively easy to establish contact with other sites, but you must get permission to attach to them. Developing these strings is where a consultant is worth his or her weight in gold because without traffic, no one knows you are there.
You may wonder if having a Web site at this particular time makes sense. It is important to understand the reach of the information you post. Never before has there been a medium where so many people have had access to so much information so quickly. When you put up a site, you are showing your best face to the world. If someone sees something they like about what it is you do, they will contact you about it. This is especially true for those who design and implement systems in our industry, and there have already been many success stories.
It is no coincidence that the top six states in the United States for Web buyers-CA, NY, TX, MA, FL and NJ-are among the most expensive states within which to own a home. The profile of an average Web buyer is a college-educated individual with disposable income. This certainly bodes well for the home A-V installation market because if your company specializes in that area, you now have a potentially unlimited audience in the home. Many predict that business-to-business contact on the Web will be the largest growth area. That means that all your commercial customers will be looking for you when they do their research on installation specs.
There are also no boundaries for the Web researcher. A church in Oregon could hire a firm in Wisconsin to install a new videowall and sound reinforcement system with a California firm designing the rigging all because of mutual access to the Web. True, the goods and services of our industry do not readily lend themselves to sales on the Web in the same way that music, books and information do, but this is rapidly changing, and the predictions for Web use in commerce are through the roof. According to Yankee Group, a marketing research group in Boston, 33 million homes will be connected by the end of next year, bringing the number of people considered users up to 96 million (according toIDC of Framingham, MA).
Security on the Web for e-commerce is rapidly becoming a non-issue as well. There are inexpensive software packages available now to take care of this area, and when you think about it, virtually every business that now offers credit is already on line for approvals via some sort of service. The credit net is one of the oldest networks around, next to the military net, of course. It may interest some readers to know that both the Mil-net and MasterCard-net were housed in the same building for years before the Internet got its start.
The Web really is a benefit for our highly focused industry. The value of information gathering, marketing products, printing cost savings, customer service and further development of sales feature benefits that Web access affords a business in our industry is immeasurable. In fact, it is the very nature of our niche-oriented industry that makes us even more suitable for Web marketing. After all, there is nowhere else a person who has no familiarity with audio and video can go for information these days.
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