🚀 go-pugleaf

Move over, Motorola!

Scientists here are proud to announce the biggest quantum leap in
telephone technology since touch tone:  The fully automatic voice exchange.

As of now, you have to memorize 10 digit plus numbers besides the
names of your friends.  Also, you have to remember access codes
and, worst of all, a one digit mistake can land you in Japan instead of
Iowa.

Wouldn't it be easier if all what you need to know is the name of your
friend?  After all, names were meant for people, numbers for computers.
Just type in the name and let the chips work whatever makes them happy.

We did that, and beat it once more:  Keyboards were meant for computers,
too.  People prefer to use their hearing and voice.

So our system works like this:  You lift the handset, turn a little
handle, after which our automatic voice exchange starts up by saying:
"Who do you want to speak to?"  You say the name, and the automaton
translates that to the digits the switches need and dial those digits.
It resolves the problem of duplicate names by asking for as much of an
address it needs.  And address is in terms of street, number and city,
state and country, not arcane octal computerese.

The automaton can be programmed to any human language and can even
tell you the time and weather.

The real feat is the packaging.  Completely selfcontained and on the
average 115 pounds per unit.  The manufacturing process is easy, too:
Each automaton can be manufactured by unskilled labor in just 3 quarters
of a year, and they appear to enjoy the manufacturing process.
It takes somewhat longer time to program it to do all the tasks we
have defined with room for several more, such as programming itself
and manufacturing more automatons.

This could start an entire new trend in computing.  Chips become
obsolete.  Ada, Basic, C, and Fortran go the way of dinosaurs.
Computing to be done entirely in human languages as early as year 2000.
You may never more have to face a hex dump or an Abend.  Just decimal
data and human language statements like: "It can't be done, boss".

Brave new world is here today.

torkil