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When we first heard about computer technology, as the 1970s were drawing to a close. There was a lot of senseless language that we all had to appear to understand. Such things as "input", "output",seemed like something that made sense, but the computer gurus of the day talked a lot about "hardware", "software" and something called, "firmware". If you wanted to show off a bit, you sprinkled your conversation with these terms and could even score bigger points if someone else was doing the same thing and you were to nod knowingly. We were told by every living expert of the day, thatthough we were focusing on "hardware" the major threat to society as we know it, was in "software". When I heard that, I nodded wisely, it seems like the thing to do and I noticed everyone else was also nodding. Twenty years have gone by and we have definitely had our share of "hardware" come and go and even more "software", but it wasn't until now, that those of us still in thinking condition, have suddenly (sudden is a relative term when thinking in terms of a conversation twenty years old) realised what we were nodding our heads about.
     
Two months ago I began using a computer that scrolls so fast it is hard to find things as they zip by. For me that was the mental check mark that told me the hardware was now maturing and in terms of development, the technical dark ages are beginning to pale with streaks of faint light.

I began using verbal commands to my computer in the fall of 1993, it came equipped with a separate "Digital Signal Processor" chip which permitted the use of higher level operations and it was pretty impressive to ask the machine to do this or that task. After a month of this sort of thing I decided performance and reliability were more important than show-off power and embarrassment. You see the computer listened much more carefully then we humans do and as a result, would act on commands others said in and at the door of my office, frequently, to the detriment of a database I was working
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Steve Jobs creator and CEO of Apple Computers