Essay on “Computer: The Silent Harbinger of A Silent Revolution” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Computer: The Silent Harbinger of A Silent Revolution

The twentieth century has witnessed many scientific discoveries and inventions that have revolutionized our life. They have led to the creation of mechanisms and artifacts which have made our life more efficient, smooth and comfortable. Computer is the latest addition to such achievements; it is the most sophisticated and integrated chip as the computer-based technology has found applications in agriculture, biotechnology, oceanography, engineering medicine and information technology. A computer is capable of storing and processing enormous amount of information at a lightning speed. Efficient exchange of mail is the most remarkable feature of the revolution that the computer has ushered in. A card has replaced a passbook a click of the button gives the latest values of international currencies, fluctuating share prices, retail and wholesale prices of commodities, status of train and plane reservations, educational and employment facilities and many other facets of our life.

We do not have to ‘stand in the serpentine queues to encash a cheque or deposit our savings in a computerized bank today. People are moving to banks which offer these facilities. It is high time Indian banks also offered these services to their clientele. The rapid growth of tourist industry has been possible on account of the computerization of rail and air reservations to major tourist destinations in the country, hotel reservation, local transportation, etc. The University Grants Commission has also plans to computerize admissions to colleges and universities in the country. This is certainly going to revolutionize our present life style.

In recent years, computerization has been employed in the field of medicine also. Computerized ECG and EEG, pulmonary function analysis, drug-designing etc. have become common. Heart specialists and computer scientists have developed expert systems (computer programmes based on artificial intelligence), which can diagnose disorders of the heart-using ECG recording as the input. A few such uses to which the computer has been put are: PUFF (for lung disorders), “TM (to monitor patients in intensive care and advise on respiratory therapy), MOLGEN (for experiments in molecular genetics), ABEL (to diagnose acid-base electrolyte disorders) and MYCIN (to diagnose bacterial blood diseases). A well-known application of computer is CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography). This helps to photograph the changing conditions of an affected area and helps the doctor to correctly examine the patient. Correct analysis, in turn, leads to correct diagnosis.

The computer plays an important part in medical research. It is expected that by the end of the twentieth century, computer-assisted drug development will lead to the formulation of drugs to fight diseases like AIDS, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The advent of a new generation of computers and sophisticated software will turn this dream into reality.

In our country, the economy is labour-intensive and it is feared that the use of computers may drive our large working force out of employment. If all the public sector undertakings are computerized, the trade unions are apprehensive of large-scale dismissals of employees. The Government must, therefore, devise a well-formulated plan before going in for mass computerization. It is, however, also a fact that we cannot survive and compete with other global economies if we do not resort to mass computerization. For instance, the demand for telephones has been steadily on the rise. Only a merger of computers and telecommunications can help meet such a demand. Significant earth-bound applications of spacecraft are being realized with the launch of INSAT satellite series and the IRS remote-sensing satellites, viz., IRS-1A, 1B, during the last decade. These applications include communications, meteorology, resource prospecting, disaster management etc.

Computers are not only the harbingers of a silent revolution, but also the binding force in today’s world. They have changed the outlook and lifestyle of mankind today. And man has been educated scientifically to adapt computers to his own benefit. Reviewing some 46 discoveries between 1900 and 1950. A History of Technology (edited by Trevor I. William) points out that longest intervals-50 to 80 years—were taken up by the fluorescent lamp and the cotton picker, and the shortest—one year—by Freon refrigerants. Computer reached us even faster. It has thus proved to be revolutionary, both in concept and applications. It has hastened the pace of revolution. We must, however, put it to proper use, instead of using it for rocketry and missiles. It marks a complete breakaway with the past.