Digital World

     Being only twenty I can safely say that I can't even recall a time when the world wasn't technologically connected. We have always been that way and we always will be. More specifically, people always get concerned about the digital world. The already laid utilities such as phone and cable got us here and the insight of modern electronics helped us use it for all it's worth. People seem to enjoy having a digital life. It takes the uncleanliness out of having to deal with people face to face. It gives people total control of the conversation, they can drop in and out without having to listen and they don't need to spend time with the person they're talking to.
     Digital tools are fantastic for productivity needs like work and education. I've never spent time in a library musing through books and I can't imagine myself doing so. Wikipedia is at my fingertips and I can compile a list of books i need then hunt them down on something like lirn. In the workplace technology has always been fantastic and in the modern age it's no different. Spreadsheets were the game changer for getting computers into businesses and word processors is the current magnum opus of the typewriter.

MS-Dos to 8

     The change from MS-DOS to Windows 8 only has one real comparison in my mind, the voting requirements in the united states. The change has been rather startling over the past 30 years with the new OS every so many years. I can safely say though that windows 8 presents a unique game changer. Everyone seems to pass it off as a tablet OS but thats only really the metro interface and can be pushed away. When the metro interface is up though it's nothing but colorful and simple to use tiles. We have gone from strictly commandline to a child friendly interface that would be dynamite for making people computer literate. I compare this all to the voting qualifications in the united states because originally the voting qualifications were being a business owner, having to own land, and many other things. Now you just need to be 18 and an american citizen to vote. Computers were originally for science and business, not the everyman. We have taken that away over the 30 years

     Jim Haley is correct about desktops eventually having an irrelvant marketshare but i feel as though he got the timeframe wrong. In places like offices and schools we will always have desktop computers for reasons like price, longer hardware lifespan, and being able to swap out a keyboard on the fly when someone spills something on theres. It's a safe bet that desktop computers will always have a home with certain people like me, the enthusiasts and hobbyists. I live in the real world though and so does everyone else. People buy according to there needs and wants. People dont need an anvil that is anchored to a specific room with no portability. They just want a lightweight no frills facebook machine to maybe browse some internets and type up a word document when need be. 
     This is there requirement for a computer and because of that they will almost always go with a laptop now a days. Quite frankly, it's something I cant hold against them but if someone chose to limit themselves to a tablet or smartphone I would find there choice a little obtuse.

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Time for some Opera

     One of the things you use all the time is your web browser, so why not get the best internet experience possible? My browser of choice hails from Norway but dont worry, it's in English and goes by the name of Opera. In Opera's earlier days it was a web browser you had to pay for but thats long since changed. It's free like every other browser and I would have a tough time naming a platform it isn't available on despite its small desktop marketshare. Just because it has a small marketshare doesnt mean it is short on fan support. It has a plethora of extensions just like Firefox and Chrome. Not to mention Opera is fast, safe, and has speed dial buttons you can edit. It's a nice browser for everyone on every device and is always ahead of the curve.

How about that Web 2.0

     Web 2.0 has been some term that I have seen people throw around for awhile now. I never quite understood how or when it became 2.0. Website adresses still have the same format and the internets capilities haven't changed but the 2.0 is about something different.
     The 2.0 is about how simple and streamlined things have become. If you wanted to share a video or photos with your friends and family it no longer requires to burn a CD or seed it on a torrent for your family. You can upload the video to youtube and post the photos on facebook for all to see.
     Internet communities aren' anything new, weve had forums about anything and everything for as long as the internet has been around. Web 2.0 has found its niche is some areas though like last FM where music enthusiasts can discuss unique tastes in music where it might be hard to find people with similar tastes otherwise. It seems as though other communities like facebook are vast just for the sake of being vast. Anyway you look at it though, the technology is still the same. It just got streamlined and made things easier.