A New Computer Language?For a good many years -- many, at least, by computer industry standards -- several manufactures have been working to develop a useful palm-sized computer. After many early attempts were introduced into the market (and now clutter the bottom drawers of countless desks), US Robotics came up with the PalmPilot. This will go down in microchip history as being the first shirt-pocket computer success story.
by Thomas Caldwell
Old news? Sure. I mention it merely to call attention to the handwritten character input system developed for the PalmPilot, better know as Graffiti. Literally millions of people are familiar with it, and millions more will soon be adding it to their skill base. Take away the software to make it work, and Graffiti is simply a method of writing characters that appear in European alphabets.
Although the Graffiti method is copyrighted, I would imagine it will be difficult to enforce. After all, there are only so many ways one can draw the letter "O." Only time (and perhaps a few court cases) will tell.
Immediately, the word "standard" comes to mind. After all, getting computers to adapt to humans, and not the other way around, is reputed to be one of the major objectives of the industry. A standardized method of handwritten character input would not only make it easier for manufacturers but for the computing public as a whole. Just imagine what a mess there would be if every computer manufacturer had its own totally different keyboard layout.
If the makers of pocket computers do agree on a standard (and I would hope they settle on Graffiti), the next step will be a form of shorthand language. While the PalmPilot's handwriting input capabilities are impressive, the process is far too slow for many people, myself included. A form of standardized shorthand language would greatly speed up character input, to the point that it could rival a traditional keyboard.
Is it wishful thinking that all the major computer manufactures could agree on a standardized way to abbreviate the English language? Perhaps. But one has already been devised, about a century ago.
Back in the days when speed was measured in real horsepower and gas lighting in the home was considered safer than electricity, the telegraph was the way urgent message were transmitted to distant locations. But Morse Code, the series of "dots" and "dashes" that telegraph operators used, was a painfully slow way of spelling out a message. It was also an expensive one, given that telegraph companies usually charged by the letter.
In his spare time, a talented telegraph operator by the name of Walter P. Phillips developed a system of shorthand to speed things up; this became known as the Phillips Code. Primarily designed for the news business, Phillips Code was refined over the years to the point where it became second nature to a great many reporters and editors. It could be keyed, handwritten, or typed quickly.
Phillips Code continued to be used and refined when the telegraph was replaced by the teleprinter, and until the 1950s it was considered a mandatory skill. Today's high-speed data terminals make such a form of abbreviation unnecessary, but the Phillips Code is still used in electronic messages by some people who work for wire services -- more for novelty than anything else.
Why should this bit of information-age trivia interest computer users and makers today? Well, what you have here is a public domain form of abbreviated English language input that anyone can use or develop a product around. It has been extensively proven, in countless field tests over many decades, to be intuitive and easy to learn. And it is free for the taking -- no royalties and no copyright infringements.
Given that it was last formally revised in 1925, a few more words (like "computer") will need to be added. But if you are a software or hardware maker and want to incorporate Phillips Code into your product, there is absolutely nothing to stand in your way.
Some pocket computer users I have spoken with think a standard form of shorthand input is a good idea; others believe that every computer user should be able to create their own method of shorthand input. Well, perhaps, since there already are features in many word processing programs that will expand personalized abbreviations. But standards tend to make things easier for everyone -- especially proven standards. (Check the keyboard speed of someone who learned how to type properly and someone who didn't; you'll see what I mean.)
If you want to learn more about Phillips Code, check out the book Wirespeak -- Codes and Jargon of the News Business by Richard M. Harnett (Shorebird Press; ISBN 0-9657410-5-2).
An electromagnetic update
The most common model I've been seeing, and the one I bought for myself, is the Magnatec 60 by US-based Homesafe, Inc. It is small, rugged, easy to use, and reasonably priced. Recommended. Thomas Caldwell is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist. You can contact him at caldwell@gol.com.  |