Computer Overkill?

What do scientists really need from a computer? I suggest that there are many physicists whose only computer needs are straightforward programming, a good graphics routine, a good text-processing routine, reliable and easily readable e-mail, and, probably, easy access to the Internet. I suspect that many physicists, like myself, are not the least bit interested in the finer points of computing technology or fancy graphics; they find that most of the recent computing innovations offered to—or perhaps pushed at—them are unnecessary.

Journals want us to submit our papers in some special format or another. It is not our job to produce such files; journal staff include, or should include, text-processing experts. Colorful conference posters may be pleasant works of art but it is doubtful if a poster can say much more than several sheets of paper containing good black and white figures with some simple explanatory text and possibly one or two figures that require color. Regrettably, some students imagine that computing is science rather than technology.

Members of the scientific community should make their needs clearly understood both to the computing industry and, equally important, to systems managers who are apt to be carried away by each innovation. Of course, there are individual special needs but, for most of us, the VAX/VMS supplied our needs in an efficient and understandable manner.