If you tell it you are on a diet, it will give you a menu and a timetable. As a secretary, it never forgets. And as a teacher, it is unrivaled in its thoroughness and accuracy. It praises, but never scolds. If the answer is correct, it puts on a smiling face, and if it is wrong, it appears to cry.
With all these qualities and abilities, it is no wonder that the home computer has arrived in a big way in Taiwan. When computers were introduced to the island 36 years ago, they were big, clumsy and expensive. But since the invention of the microprocessor in 1971, the computer has become smaller and cheaper.
Although the monitor on a home computer looks like a television screen, it emits no ultra-violet rays and is therefore not a health hazard. Using the simplest software language called Basic, the home computer has an IQ the equivalent of 180, and its thought patterns follow a logic which can be used in all kinds of research, inventory compilation and inspection. With all these uses, it is no wonder that the home computer has become an increasingly popular tool.
In Taiwan, there are three companies making home computers, Multitech, Mitac Inc. and Brain Trust Computer Corp. As the computer becomes more important in modern society, everyone is having to learn to use it. Several classes have been set up in Taiwan's elementary and middle schools. The Jenai elementary school provides an example of this trend.
Out of the 28 computers made available to the students at Jenai, 10 were donated by the Multitech Corp. on the principle that today's learners are tomorrow's customers. In the future, it is expected that computers will be as common in the home as television sets are at present.
Besides promoting its uses in education, Multitech has also made progress in developing a computer that can use the Chinese language. This new system, called the Dragon Chinese I/O computer series, was introduced in September 1980 featuring an efficient Chinese character coding and generating system.
This series may provide the ideal way to promote the use of the Chinese language in data processing. Awarded the Premier's Award for excellence in 1980, the series has been successfully interfaced with other common computer systems such as those of IBM, CDC, Prime, DEC and HP. Multitech has even opened a branch in the United States to symbolize its technical advancement.
From all this, it can be seen that the Republic of China has made great progress in technology. In the field of computer technology, Multitech has become a world leader, an achievement of which the nation can be justly proud.
[Picture Caption]
1. A training institute sponsored by a computer manufacturer, most of whose students are children. 2. The trainer teaching computer operation. 3. A training session in progress.
Left: Computer enthusiasts purchasing software tapes and discs. Right: A mother teaching her children mathematics using the computer shows it as an educational aid.
2. The trainer teaching computer operation.
3. A training session in progress.
Left: Computer enthusiasts purchasing software tapes and discs.
Right: A mother teaching her children mathematics using the computer shows it as an educational aid.
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