To those who never had the chance to learn the basics of computer hardware before they started working on a computer, this might be a quick but partial lesson in the fundamentals of computer hardware that pertains to the types of memory used in computers or mobile devices. To those who have computer hardware knowledge it would never hurt to spend time refreshing our memory in some of the hardware and it’s working.
For the moment let us discuss two types of memory mobile devices and computer systems use and that would be, the Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM). While both have its own role to play in the working of electronic devices, a quick comparison between the two should help us understand the functions of the two and their importance.
ROM is a form of data storage in computers and other electronic devices that cannot be easily changed or reprogrammed. While RAM is a form of data storage that can be accessed randomly at any time from any physical location such as hard disks or USB drives. Data stored in ROM is non-volatile and its contents are retained even after the computer is switched off, whereas data stored in RAM is referred to as volatile memory and is lost when the computer is switched off. ROM usually stores critical information such as the operating system that is essential in the operations of computers, therefore hardwired and tamperproof, allowing only the read feature to the memory hence the name. Lately OEM’s preinstall important apps on mobile devices they consider vital and do not provide the rights for users to delete them, these apps are invariably stored in the ROM. While RAM allows the computer to quickly read various applications, make changes and allows data to be read/write. The most important reason RAM is present is because when the processor computes data it is faster to retrieve data required for processing from the RAM than to load it from your storage device.
So the next time one turns on the computer or a mobile device and notice the brand name appear for a short period of time on the screen, it does not mean the manufacturers are merely trying to advertise their brand but also buying time for the operating system to be loaded in the background, this operating system comes from the incorruptible data that is stored in the ROM. Once your computer or mobile device is on and you start using an application it usually is transferred from a storage device to the RAM. You can change, manipulate data, but must always save the changes to the storage device you accessed the data from, failure to save will make you lose the data in case of a power failure since RAM happens to be just a temporary memory used to store data that is needed for fast processing.
Enough of technical jargon lets come to plain English. We humans despite having a complex memory ourselves seem to have designed memory for these electronic devices in a pretty simple straight forward way. ROM stores vital data that is critical in the working of the device, while RAM is a more or less a working memory. Not exactly comparable but somewhat similar to the short and long term memories of our human brain. The short-term memory acts like a temporary recall system, similar to sticky notes which are used to remember and process information at any given time. While long-term memory is intended to store information for long periods of time and hardly gets corroded or so it seems. However with age and our inability to decipher between true and fictitious information our long term-memory can sometimes be compromised.
Since the human brain does not have the reliable ROM chip installed, a subtle attempt is being made in Goa to rewrite some part of the information which Goans held in their long-term memory for the last three years hoping they either forget or move on without any logical conclusion. Three years ago Goans elected a new government to not only bring an end to corruption but to also resolve all corrupt legacy issues of their predecessors. Forget resolution, most corrupt are in the process of reinventing themselves with a tacit understanding with those elected. After all they happen to be friends on a mission to look out for each other in times of heightened citizen’s awareness of their wrongdoings.
The recent Lalit Modi tweeting session might not have any Goan links so far, but certainly establishes a pattern, that the top two parties do have many things in common. The hope that the Goan people had that corruption would be cleaned up with the election of a new party seem to be a distant dream now. Politicians on the other hand hope that the Goan long-term memory fails and with that all commitments made conveniently forgotten, similar to RAM, erased by just switching it off.
If the Generation Next Goans want to make a lasting change in Goa then they must not make the blunder of the past generation by getting swayed by politicians’ speeches. Use your electronic device to check on the progress of the promises made by the government on the internet archives of past five years and refresh your long-term memory.
(Plastino D’Costa is a business consultant)
