Computer Monitors

Computer Monitors Tips

Computer monitors have been around for quite a while but I remember my first computer monitor if I could call it that way because it was a black and white TV. I had bought a radio shack computer back in the 80s and could not afford a 12 inches color TV or real monitor. You can imagine that I sure appreciate the new monitors now!

Nowadays, most computer monitors that we see in office are the flat monitor varieties. In fact, this has been the case with computer monitors for a couple of years now. Workers who have entered the office world in the last couple of years would not even be aware of any other kind of computer monitors. But for those of us who have been working for a longer time, the cathode ray tube computer monitors are very much a nostalgic piece. It is not that they were the best or the most user friendly monitors. It is just that among all kinds of computer monitors, they are the only ones which have lasted the longest in offices and organizations as we know them. Which is why some of the bigger organizations in developing countries are still loathe to get rid of these clunky and rather space hogging computer monitors.

The history of computer monitors is rather fascinating. When the very first computers made an appearance on the commercial scene, they had absolutely no need for computer monitors. The computers themselves resembled mini power stations and had miles of wiring, switches, valves and other components making computer monitors rather redundant. But as computers got more rational and became smaller, sleeker more powerful machines, computer monitors too started to make an appearance.

The very first computer monitors borrowed from the excellence of the television screen. For all practical purposes, the earliest computer monitors were nothing but television monitors. They used the same cathode ray principle, were meant for display and hence were used rather interchangeably. But later models of computers began to have specific niche requirements for computer monitors. The display sizes of later computer monitors became more demanding, and as computers themselves moved from dos based versions to the extremely popular windows versions, the capabilities for the graphical user interface increased tremendously. As a result computer monitors too became powerful entities.

The cathode ray tube computer monitors dominated the computer industry for a very long time. But with the innovations in display technology, there have been several newer models which have occupied the space. Just as cathode ray tube televisions have been replaced by flat screen televisions, whether they are LCD or plasma based, monitors too have become sleeker and more powerful. And as the CPU of today’s computers keep getting sleeker, some additional components like speakers and the DVD drive have been integrated with computer monitors. One thing I sure appreciate is the fact that the newest computer monitors are easier on the eyes. Let’s see what the future has in store!

(c) copyright Paul Zirka