1960s, 1970s? Computers? Heck, most practical applications did not use an actual digital computer to do these. What are these applications, that, nowadays, are almost exclusively done with computers?
20190427/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrocomputing
20190427/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_computer_hardware
Zero electronics, purely mechanical and chemical:
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Motor engines
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Engine fuel
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Combustion lighting: Gas lamps
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Heating: furnace, cook tops, stoves, ovens
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Thermostat
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Clock, watch, alarm clock
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Maps
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Cash register
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Piano: In the heyday of analog pianos, pianos were typically used as caricature in moving picture entertainment for a very large and heavy object. This large instrument notable for only its keyboard has been outmoded by smaller electronic versions that are physically nothing but the keyboard.
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Animation
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Fire sprinkler
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Typesetting
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Typewriters
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Washing machines
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Adding machines: Comptometer, etc.
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Photography: Capturing photos, projection, photographic printing
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Postal system: Mailing letters, mailing packages
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Newspaper reading
Very basic electronics, no computers:
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Electric motors
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Batteries
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Electric lighting
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Electric fans
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Refrigerators, freezers
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Air conditioning
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Electric heating: …, toaster, toaster oven
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Smoke detector
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Circuit breaker panel
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Fire alarm control panel
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Land survey large distance measurement
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Photography: Photocopying, movie film capture, movie film projection, microfilm archival
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Phonograph recording, phonograph playback
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Newspaper printing
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Telegraph
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Teletype
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Telephone
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Wireless telegraph
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Stock tickers
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Radio
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Television
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“Keypunch,” for punched cards, paper tape, and sometimes magnetic tape for computers.
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Dumb video display terminals, for accessing mainframe and minicomputers.
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Bates device, for stamping serial numbers.
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Bank wire transfers
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Professional audio tape recorders “Ampex”
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Professional video tape recorders
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Audio cassette tapes, Audio cassette recorders
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Videocassette tapes, Videocassette recorders
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Telephone answering machine
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Walkie talkie, two-way radio
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Complex gaming machines such as pinball machines.
And so on and so on and so forth! I can’t possibly imagine detailing the whole list. But the point in hand, what we traditionally thought about the roles where “computers” are now found by mandate of modern life. Definitely not the Wikipedia train of thought on the subject.
All of these applications originally did not require computers. Of those that used basic electronics, many of them could actually have been implemented without electronics at all, but using electrical motors made them more convenient.
Nowadays, we cannot imagine how you would perform these tasks without computers!
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How the heck do you type printed documents without a computer? Surely, a computer is required for typesetting.
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How the heck can a car function without a computer? Surely, you need a computer to control the ignition, fuel injection, electric motors, and so on.
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How the heck do you build a battery without computers? Surely, you need a computer in the battery for the charge control and safety mechanisms.
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Surely, all kitchen appliances and furnaces must have a computer within them.
Things that are sometimes computerized, but still frequently done in analog:
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Handwriting
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Drawing, Painting
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Combustion lighting: Candles, but only for ceremonial or other specialty uses
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Flush toilets
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Short distance measurement: Room-scale and desktop-scale.
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Weight measurement scales, weight measurement balances
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Mailing envelopes, but processing and routing them is done exclusively via computers.
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Smaller musical instruments are still fairly popular in analog form.
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Audio mixing console
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Audio amplifiers
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Pay in cash
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Keys, locks, for building security access control
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Faucet valves
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Plant watering sprinklers
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Card games, board games, very simple gaming machines
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Calendar, planner
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Pull-down projector screen, windows shades. Sometimes is electronically and computer controlled.
So, point in hand. There are many things that can be done without computers, but are now exclusively digital computerized nowadays. And there are some things that though they can also be done with computers, hasn’t become popular to do so. Where the old way is still popular.
But, for sure! The list of non-computerized technologies that have been displaced by digital computers is much longer than the list of technologies that still live on in analog form.
So, how do you know what you can include in this list? First off, there has to be some sort of machine or material object involved. Then, the question is how was that object constructed? How does that machine operate? Is there a computer you can find in the process?
Now, the big question. What was it, in terms of these mainstream user applications, that 1990s PCs had, that was truly unique?
In one word, I would be tempted to say compatibility. When there are so many different ways of accomplishing these same applications, what machines and devices do you have that can bridge the gap?