Thursday, March 30, 2006

No. I don't make errors.

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Excuse me. I am not at fault! I made no error. Why should I be blamed? Why should I be the scapegoat? Why should I face the flak? Why should I be called guilty?

Uh-oh...Did I come straight to the point? Very quickly? Well, let me go slow then. First, I'll introduce myself. My name's Computer. Yes. Computer. No. Not Computer Error. Error is not my last name. In fact, that's what's bugging me.

Actually, 'Computer' is my last name. I have a number of cousins. Mainframe Computer. Mini Computer. Personal Computer. Laptop computer. Palmtop computer. So, you see. Computer is my family name. And I love my family. That's why I hate it when we are taken lightly.

We've been around for quite a while now. More than 50 years. The origin of our species was from somewhat gigantic structures like ENIACS and UNIVACs to the current species. Over the years, We have become more smaller, more faster, more colorful and more friendly.

Even children and old people find us friendly nowadays.

From our earlier habitats of huge rooms in universities and corporate jungles, we have now migrated and dispersed into desks, briefcases, and even pockets. I am, therefore, proud of my race, and its growth of these far reaching proportions.

Now, what bugs me most are not the bugs in my software, but when I am said to be in error. We have been known to do our duty. We do what we are told. Then why call us wrong, when we are not? Uh?

Recently, on a quiz show on Bahrain TV, USA was considered as an axis power in World War I instead of as allied power, and the poor contestant was not given points for his correct answer.

When some viewer asked, through the columns of GDN, how it is possible, the reply from Bahrain TV, was this: It was a 'computer error'.

Computer Error???! Now, that gets me blinking mad. Yes. That gets me all worked up. Why are you defaming my poor cousin at Bahrain Radio and TV? He just stated what he was told. He performed as he was programmed. He gave only the data he was given. He displayed the information he was fed with.

He is just a faithful computer. Like all other computers. And we computers are always faithful.

It's the manufacturers, programmers, data entry operators, end-users who make mistakes. Not us.

There's no such thing as a 'computer error'.

It's only people who make errors. Why blame computers?

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