We dug into the history behind the term and found something we never expected.
When we use a hammer, we’re not called “hammer users.”
Imagine purchasing a handbook on how to use a saw called “Handbook for Saw Users.”
Benj Edwards
It might make sense, but it sounds odd.
Some people have recently made themistakeofconflating this termwith a “user” of illegal drugs.
Let’s take a look into the history of the term to figure out how it started.
fizkes/Shutterstock.com
The first computer users weren’t people at all.
2 Issue 9), which was thefirstcomputer industry journal.
The term remained rare until around 1957, and increased in usage as commercial computer installations increased.
Remington Rand
So why were the first computer users companies and not individuals?
There’s a good reason for that.
Once upon a time, computers werevery big and expensive.
DEC
To get any useful output from them, your staff needed formal training.
Further, if something broke, you couldn’t go to a computer shop and buy a replacement.
Related:What Are Teletypes, and Why Were They Used with Computers?
Tandy, MacUser
So the term “computer users” filled that role instead.
They represented a large wave of new computer users.
What Are We Using the Computer For?
And yet the “computer user” term persisted.
Tandy even adopted the term as thetitle of a magazinefor TRS-80 computer owners.
Someone who watches TV is called a “viewer” because they view things on a screen.
But what do we use computers for?
And as long as that continues to be the case, there will always be computer users among us.
Remember to read your history and stay safe out there!
