Computer Tips August 1996
Ron Sodos
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I remember a meeting 4 1/2 years ago at the Albuquerque Board of Realtors
R, at which all the brokers in town expressed their anger regarding PRC's
new software, "Stellar". The meeting was an interesting one, with all the
CEO's of Albuquerque's real estate community showing their anger and frustration
at the changes that were taking place in the information business. I was
one of the only ones there that actually liked Stellar. I had taken the
time to learn the software and had come to understand how "capturing to file"
would offer advantages to a real estate salesperson in the field with a
notebook computer. I distinctly remember being insulted by one of the brokers
when I stated that I spent many evenings until 3 am at my computer. I was
told, "I have better things to do at 3 am." I do not remember the individual
that made the comment, but I am sure since that meeting he has spent many
hours learning how to use his computer. The reason I refer to this now, is
because every time I open the newspaper I read how some office in town is
the leader in technology and they have a home page on "The Web". I also
read how they are the experts, and the buyers and sellers should come to
them because the Internet is the new thing, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah.
I even heard a self proclaimed expert who managed to get an article published
in the Albuquerque Journal, saying he had the first Web page in Albuquerque.
What a crock! There were a few Web pages in Albuquerque over a year ago.
At present there are quite a few and the number keeps growing.
I have been the biggest advocate of new technology, especially the
Web. I am delighted to see the offices getting on line one by one. I truly
believe the Internet is going to change the world and the way we communicate.
However, I would like to mention that I was on the Web prior to the business
community having access. The Internet prior to the graphical access called
the "Web" was quite different. In order to "browse", you needed to use
Unix commands. I used to read the postings of technical people, when the
concept first arose that the public was becoming aware of the Internet.
They would talk back and forth in the Usenet News about how the business
community would ruin the Internet with their petty competition and backstabbing.
I would hear the technical people explain how their precious Internet, (which
they had used since the 70s'), would become overcrowded and lose its' value.
I am not here to preach or to agree or disagree with the Internet of the past.
The Internet of the present and future is here to stay. I would however, like
to express my laughter at those of you that would pose as experts in a world
that is changing so fast, that serious programmers do not proclaim to be
experts. Java, Netscape audio and video plugins, Windows NT, Windows 97
(already in the works), and many other new technologies are already here.
I write HTML code and work with computers as much or more than most in this
community. I find humor in how self proclaimed experts would have the
audacity to advertise that they are the first to use the Internet for real
estate. It is about as true as running an ad stating that one office would
benefit you more than another because they have a telephone and drive a car.
The Internet has been here for a while and some of the new technologies I
have mentioned will make it much more advanced than it is now. In years to
come, as with all technology, the fluff will pass by the way, and the utility
will remain. Of course the increase in speed and bandwidth will make it
become the tool that is predicted. But with 30 million estimated users and
growing all the time, there are no experts among us, except for the originators
of the "Net". We are all just users. Of course, some are more literate than
others. But this literacy is only based on experience of use.
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