# What will computers be like IN THE YEAR 2000?!?!?!?!? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 10, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005 "2005-01-10T06:02:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/21 "2005-01-12T00:50:51Z")
Yeah, I didn’t get a computer of my own until 1980. Course, back then I’d just hoped for some kind of quick permanent storage in the future. Something other than an audio cassette. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/22 "2005-01-12T01:15:04Z")
Sorry to extend the hijack, but **InvisibleWombat** : you’re talking about [stereo lithography.](http://www.boedeker.com/sla.htm) I work in the medical device industry and we’ll do proof-of-concept or early prototypes with those (mainly to ensure it will work before we have the mold made). Our company recently purchased a 3-D printer like **Waenara** is talking about. The parts that come out of that aren’t as useful as they need to be sealed or else they’re really brittle. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/23 "2005-01-12T01:32:19Z")
The “conversational computer” will be like the videophone - everyone thinks they want it, but nobody really does. The office would be too loud to think. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/24 "2005-01-12T01:39:54Z")
I remember seeing a quote from a 1948 issue of _Popular Mechanics_ that said, “By next year, computers may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/25 "2005-01-12T01:51:37Z")
Another slight hijack (great thread **Muad’Dib** ) At the bottom of page 7 there’s an ABS ad for the TRS-80 upgrade. It says if a part ever fails, they’ll replace it. Anyone feel like calling them in the morning and saying the part isn’t working to see if they’ll ship another? I’ve always been suspicious of claims to replace parts at any time. This could be fun if we have a great prankster to try it. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/26 "2005-01-12T02:17:51Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Another slight hijack (great thread **Muad’Dib** ) > > At the bottom of page 7 there’s an ABS ad for the TRS-80 upgrade. It says if a part ever fails, they’ll replace it. > > Anyone feel like calling them in the morning and saying the part isn’t working to see if they’ll ship another? I’ve always been suspicious of claims to replace parts at any time. This could be fun if we have a great prankster to try it. I’ll do it… Maybe I need a new latch for the disk drive door? (Trying to remember a suitable “broken part” for a TRS-80… The drive had a swing latch, right?) Seriously, if someone gave me a plausible thing that I needed to replace, I’d call them in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/27 "2005-01-12T02:37:53Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > I’ll do it… Maybe I need a new latch for the disk drive door? (Trying to remember a suitable “broken part” for a TRS-80… The drive had a swing latch, right?) > > Seriously, if someone gave me a plausible thing that I needed to replace, I’d call them in a heartbeat. The ad just says it’s a 16k upgrade for the keyboard. Maybe the chip wore out? I really don’t know much about hardware other than how to install and configure it. OTOH, my first PC was a VIC-20 and I never had a TRS-80, so not sure what we’re even dealing with here. Maybe a drive door would work. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Foible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Foible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foible)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/28 "2005-01-12T02:51:09Z")
I liked the ads that came with the story. Memory cost between 8 and 18 bucks for 1k. If I could only get those prices now I’d retire tomorrow on the junk laying around my office. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/29 "2005-01-13T08:05:05Z")
> [@Foible](#): > > I liked the ads that came with the story. Memory cost between 8 and 18 bucks for 1k. If I could only get those prices now I’d retire tomorrow on the junk laying around my office. That reminds me, are the estimates about the changes in memory prices correct? ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005/30 "2005-01-13T13:46:44Z")
> [@Suburban Plankton](#): > > The last time I went an entire week without using a computer was in January of 2003, and then I was on vacation in a foreign country. I spent 8 days in Costa Rica in November 2004 and still checked my email from the iMac in the hotel lobby about midway through the trip. Even underprivileged Central American countries are catching up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-computers-be-like-in-the-year-2000/284005.md?page=1)