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1998It wasn't the most earth-shattering year in computer history,but there were some interesting developments, writes GREG GORDONKEEN computer users tend to remember years in terms of technology debuts. In 1981, for example, the PC was introduced. In 1995 the Internet went mainstream.How will 1998 be remembered? Probably as the year that Windows 98, the iMac and reliable speech-recognition software made their first appearance. It was also the year in which the number of Internet users worldwide passed the 100 million mark. And the first time that computer prices rose instead of remaining static. August's economic meltdown in the East meant that for the first time in nearly two decades, computer prices went up by around 15 percent. This bucked the usual trend, known in the industry as Moore's law. It states that every 18 months computer users can buy machines that are twice as powerful for the same price. This year the price went up although the performance curve remained constant. Processors, the "brain" of the computer, reached the 450Mhz mark. The fastest machine available at the end of last year was 266Mhz. Some analysts predict that next year processor speeds could go as high as 1 000Mhz. Just five years ago processors running at 25Mhz and 33Mhz were considered cutting edge. The 500Mhz barrier should fall early next year and the race will be on to double it before the year 2000. There is now just over a year until the year 2000 when "millennium madness" is expected to cripple computer systems that aren't equipped for the date change. Most home computers will be safe, but those used for running small businesses are at risk. There is still a lot of hardware and software - particularly machines and packages that are older than five years - that could crash when the clock ticks over to midnight on December 31 1999. Most software shops stock software that will check machines for compliancy - but time is running out. Windows 98 appeared this year with a whimper compared with the roar that accompanied the release of Windows 95. In a well-publicised clanger, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, while demonstrating the new product, watched it crash when a scanner was attached to the computer it was running on. Overall, Windows 98 was well received but there have been reports that conflicts occurred when users upgraded, and many are unhappy with the software's bugs. Windows 98 is slowly being merged with the high-end Windows NT - upcoming version 5 was recently renamed Windows 2000. On the applications front, Microsoft's Office 97 continued to dominate the market. It gets a face-lift next year with the release of Office 2000. Corel bundled speech-recognition software with its WordPerfect suite. Users can speak commands instead of using a mouse and keyboard. The software can also be used to dictate copy and the latest versions will even "read" back what they have written. Until this year computers were not powerful enough to cope with the processor-intensive task of working with audio and speech recognition. The technology is now able to recognise continuous speech as opposed to discrete speech, which requires the narrator to pause between words. It's likely that 1998 will be regarded as the breakthrough year for speech recognition - widespread use will probably occur only next year. Sound cards got a performance boost this year, and the Soundblaster Live from Creative Labs included a chip as powerful as a Pentium for processing sound. Environmental audio directs sound to four or more speakers so players feel immersed in computer games. Significant advances were made in portable-computer technology. The Palm Pilot III, a hand-held organiser, sold well, as did hand-held PCs running the Windows CE operating system. Larger notebook computers got a speed boost up to 266Mhz, with high-resolution screens and even DVD drives. DVD, or digital video disk, touted as the technology likely to replace the CD-ROM and video, still sold slowly despite its introduction more than a year ago. A lack of titles and a zoning system that locks out some movies are the likely causes. The non-mover in 1998 was the modem - the devices are stuck at the 56Kbps mark in terms of speed. From next year even cellphones will be capable of transmitting and receiving data faster than this. Apple Computer, makers of the Macintosh, introduced the iMac this year. Targeted at home users, its futuristic design has been well received. Strong sales have stopped the slide that could have stripped Apple to the core. The number of dial-up Internet users in South Africa reached 300 000, and service providers started punting the concept of shopping via the web. E-mail remained the most popular activity on the Internet by far. During 1998, a greater number of computer games became stable under Windows, and they got bigger and bigger. The X-Files, for example, was delivered on seven CD-ROMs. A quiet revolution took place in the form of the USB (universal serial bus). These little plugs allow you to plug a device like a keyboard or mouse into a PC and have it automatically detect and configure it.
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