In the late 70s county forces in the UK were given access to the Police National Computer (PNC) when it came online. This allowed quicker checking for stolen cars or for criminals who were wanted.
In the mid-80s in the US, when I was at Illinois State University, searching for articles and books was easier because of the in-State library network, which may have been a forerunner of the Gopher system. In one class, a librarian demonstrated a device that used rubber cups over the mouth and ear pieces of a telephone to send signals from a connected computer to a similar device elsewhere -- the receiving library was in California.
I immediately saw this system of modulating and demodulating (modem) digital to analogue signals as a turning point: it meant that ordinary users would be able to link to other computers anywhere in the world. By the time I arrived in Bangkok a couple of years later, this was beginning to happen.
In the 25 or so years since, there have been considerable advances in computers and in networking. I am now able to do tasks that I only dreamed of a few years ago with a selection of devices (and connection options), allowing me considerable latitude with how I work.
My recent acquaintance with the iPad Pro has brought this to focus. It is a device that signifies a new way of working: loosening ties between specific operating systems or applications. Older people who are used to desktop restrictions may not grasp this. For younger people, there is nothing to think about. Just do.
On Christmas Day at a friend's home, his seven-year old tried the iPad Pro. There was no delay, no worry. He looked around, started a couple of games and did what suited him. Many young people I know use devices (whatever they have to hand) to do what they want: no fretting about desktop class apps or operating systems. Some older guys never know when to get out of the way of the juggernaut that is bearing down on them.
Currently, the idea of desktop computers disappearing totally is hard to imagine. Storage, backup, certain features and programs unavailable for hand-held devices make this improbable for the moment. Storage of data means many users will continue to need hard disk solutions. While I can take advantage of cloud solutions for data transfers and for some storage, the hundreds of gigabytes worth of photographs I have make the cloud too expensive for now. There is no practical way to connect an iOS device to a USB hard disk. Wireless solutions such as Seagate's Wireless Plus may be possible of course, but I have yet to try these.
Young person in Bangkok with iPad mini.
When I commented on the iPad Pro earlier this month, I mentioned two points that restricted my use: the flatbed scanner I have for film negatives and the DSLR camera. I did find an iOS version of the VueScan software I have on the Mac, but this only works with Wi-Fi connected scanners, such as those all-in-one printer-scanner units. My Canon links to the Mac via USB.
Apple solved my DSLR problem the same week I wrote that and I bought the Lightning to SD card adapter as soon as it was available. There were the usual ordering problems on the Thai-only site, but I managed, and the 1,200 baht device was in my hands a few days later.
I had my Nikon camera set for JPG and RAW as the Eye-Fi SD card (it creates its own network for direct transfers to the iPhone) only works with JPG and I want RAW on my computer. That initially caused delays while the RAW files were downloaded via iCloud. When I switched to RAW only, the transfers were quicker, but more to the point I was able to work on the images as they were imported into the iOS devices.
With the iOS 9.2 update, it became possible to import images to the iPhone using the adapter. This will be convenient when I am out and about. The iPad Pro, however, goes one better as imports are at USB 3 speeds, making a major difference when bringing in a large selection of photographs. I tried 100 shots (around 2 GB).
The iPhone 6s Plus took 3 min to display all 100 on the screen ready for import and 3 min more for the import to be completed. The iPad Pro was noticeably faster with onscreen display taking about 2 min with the whole process taking a total of 4 min 47 sec.
On the iPhone and iPad Pro, the images are in an optimised form (around 1-2MB), but they are transferred to Photos on the Mac as RAW which can be exported in JPG, PNG, or TIFF file formats. The original unmodified (RAW) file may also be exported.
A happy and prosperous New Year to all!
Graham K. Rogers of Mahidol University's Engineering Faculty, has OS X flavoured web pages at www.extensions.in.th/index4.html.
Raymond Massey (John Cabal) with tablet device.
Photos showing metadata display of NEF (RAW) image.
