Technology is changing everyday, I remember way back we went for shorthand and typing classes at Polytechnic (Polytechnic is an institution where they thought vocational studies for school leavers in Sri Lanka, it is located in Wellawatte, Sri Lanka) , and we used manual typewriters, we had to use our strength to press those buttons, when we practiced typing. We have to be lucky enough to get a typewriter with all the keys working, we were not allowed to use tipex. There is typing class at every ½ an hour, we wait in the que as the bell ring we would run to our favourite typewriter. There were teachers to monitor and instruct us.
We worked as trainee stenographers, added knowledge is, how to handle a telex machine, the sound of telex message coming, multi colour tapes, pink, yellow, light green etc, left over telex paper is recycled, used as confetti in weddings, children makes paper flowers etc. I remember my father bringing home various colours of telex papers, during Vesak, telex papers were used to make vesak decorations (pandol).
Then came fax, ability to send diagrams, I was working at Mackwoods at that time, and everyone gathered to see how the first fax went through. There was telex/ fax room, there was tele/ fax operator. Everybody had to rely on her to send/ receive messages. When she receives a message, she passes it to relevant person, she rings a bell, then a peon comes and take the message.
I think I should write about Mackwoods, stenographers were in a pool, new recruits were put into a pool, that’s mean 6 girls are working as stenos, we have six typewriters, when a manager/ executive wants typing done they call us, in that way 6 girls were shared by many managers/ executives. We used carbon copies to make a copy of the letter, at Mackwoods, we have to make 3 copies, so different colours of 3 papers were used. No photocopy machine.
Electric typewriters were the next improvement, only privileged stenographers or secretaries got those electric typewriters, I still remember the catalogues with nice girls standing near electric typewriters. When we want to buy a typewriter, we call an agent, they come and give us those catalogues, we have to choose the our choice of typewriter. It comes with with carbon ribbons, which is aextra cost to the organisation, as one finishes carbon reel finishes, you need to buy another.
Electric typewriter too improved with small display screen, screen is one line, can you believe it, where one can type, advantage is you can do the editing in that particular line and press the enter key and it will print that particular line on the paper, that too improved with more space to type.
Ribbons use in electric typewriters and manual typewriters were different.
Manual typewriter ribbons can be recycled and we had a ink bottle to dip the ink.
Then came computer era, I was working at Fentons (Fentons was a import company in Sri Lanka, they were the leading Company in Sri Lanka for telecommunications products, agents for NEC, where they imported computers), where they had compuers, the computer had word perfect, word perfect (word perfect was name for that package eg: now Microsoft word) was first version of word, where you can type documents, windows were not heard, we had to remember all the keys to type, to save it is ‘S’, still same, I think all the key functions remain same.
I went to computer classes to learn word perfect, it was DMS (Institution in Sri Lanka where they have classes for softwares), girls (secretaries) from leading private sector companies attended those classes, classes were held in the evening for office staff, subsequently I learned ‘Lotus’ old version of now excel. I was working in Dubai, still word perfect, then one of the secretaries said, there is a mouse, which is much better to use in computer, I was puzzled, about this mouse, I really thought of a mouse, until we bought it fixed it, wow life was much easier. That was in 1992.
Back in Sri Lanka, I was working in a USAID project where i learned and practiced windows, installing packages was not an easy task, to install ‘publisher’ (old version of illustrator), if I remember it correctly, you have to insert almost 12 discs, it is numberd, when one installation finish, you have to insert the second one.
Then email was introduced (probably 1994), task of setting an email was given to a private company, they came and set up a modem, to send a mail you have to dial out, I still hear that sound in my ear. That facilities too were given only to CEO’s secretary.
Another thing happen, desktop was replaced with a laptop, all the Mangers bought laptop, value of a Secretary was going down. No longer secretary is in demand, the boss can do all the work secretary is doing using his laptop.
Then web was developed (1997) I was expecting my second child, we browse through ‘nescape navigator’, did not have much idea. I was previlaged to learn website design at this era, by Bob Galinksy from USA, who came to teach us, he had a ‘html’ book with himl codes, files were transferred through FTP, we used a note pad for our coding, I loved my html, later css.
USAID project try to convince people of value of having websites, which was difficult task, as it was costly people did not want to invest and they did not know the value of it.
Then I joined university of Colombo, and learned Java script, with Google world changed, email was available for everyone, CMS, joomla was introduced, very much later wordpress.
World is changing, we have come to enjoy technology, which makes our work easy, but very addictive, at the moment I am learning ‘React’ which is most recent way of making super fast websites.
I have my own website design Company where I train people, I also I teach website design, I have developed more than 100 websites, I have a very good clientele, website design does not end, once it is completed, it is ongoing service, as we have to evolve with the technology.
Srimali Senn
Web Designer
amwebbers.com
