
The ECHO IV Home Computer: 50 Years Later - jonbaer
http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/the-echo-iv-home-computer-50-years-later/
======
fernly
This article by Dag Spicer has good coverage of the background of the ECHO IV
and the interview with Ruth Sutherland is priceless.

Coincidentally a different writeup on the ECHO IV can be found in the CHM's
Volunteer Newsletter of last fall[1]. It has some different pictures, more
technical details on the machine's architecture, and links to some other
sources, including a gallery of pictures of the ECHO hardware in the CHM
collection[2].

[1]
[http://s3data.computerhistory.org.s3.amazonaws.com/chmedu/VI...](http://s3data.computerhistory.org.s3.amazonaws.com/chmedu/VIE_05_008.pdf)
(PDF)

[2] [https://cortesi.smugmug.com/Other/ECHO-IV-
article/](https://cortesi.smugmug.com/Other/ECHO-IV-article/)

------
Jtsummers

      At this point, I cannot say or even comprehend all the
      things that a computer someday will be doing for our
      homes, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could provide
      more time for parents to spend with their children,
      therefore, making every home a happier one?
      -- Ruth Sutherland
    

Somehow I feel that this was almost a golden age for computers. When they were
still tools and not means of mass distraction.

    
    
      At first, I thought it might really replace me! From the
      cartoons and jokes we see and hear about computers, isn’t
      this the general impression that most homemakers at
      present would have if they suddenly found out they had a
      computer in their home?
    

And this part made me laugh. My mother _hated_ my dad's GPS unit he purchased
for traveling. And she still dislikes Siri, though it's more half-joking now.
She actually resented the loss of participation, even given the relief from
the burden of being navigator. Fortunately she's come close to Ruth
Sutherland's realization/observation: These are tools, they don't replace us,
only some of our roles. This leaves us open to other opportunities in both
leisure activities and productive activities.

~~~
mhurron
> Somehow I feel that this was almost a golden age for computers. When they
> were still tools and not means of mass distraction.

It seems we always do this. A new tool comes along and immediately evangelists
and early adopters are talking about how it will free us of some horrible
thing that prevents us from spending time with our families or it will enable
us to do something great with ourselves and become better people.

Then everyone gets one and it turns out we didn't need a device to do any of
that. We're either still working a lot because we have to or we don't spend
time with the family because we're horrible, lazy people and the tool gave us
one more thing to do instead of this lofty goal of spending time with the
family.

'Spending time with the family' is something people say to make them seem like
nice, caring people but it turns out we're all looking for reasons to not
spend any time with them at all.

~~~
fao_
So basically you're saying that people who are willing to spend time with the
family will have more time to spend, and those who don't want to will make
excuses? (Just making sure I've not missed a subtlety)

~~~
mhurron
What I'm saying is that those that want to spend time aren't the ones looking
for a device to allow it. Those that want to arrange their schedule so they
can, just like everyone does for things they want to do.

Well, out side of those that work multiple low paying jobs to provide for
their family. There are other forces at work there.

------
unexistance
The irony is most of the task 'requested' are still not being to be done by
Home Computer.

What's worse? Some of the doable are done by Big-Brother's Computer

The list can be used as something we should aspire to achieve, in order to
remove mundane and/or repetitive human effort.

------
King-Aaron
>but wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could provide more time for parents to
spend with their children, therefore, making every home a happier one?

Wouldn't that be wonderful, instead we just have introverts who don't even
want to leave their LOL game to eat dinner.

