One Family's Love Affair With Computers

May 10, 1986|By Denise Salvaggio of The Sentinel Staff

''A hobby that grew into a business'' is the way Hilda Golding describes how Bernard Golding's involvement with personal computers has affected their lives.

The Orlando couple and their son, Dan, 15, use their four personal computers for various reasons. The Goldings have two adult children who do not live at the family's home: Bernard Bradley Golding, 21; and Susan Jane Leaf, 24.

One room of the house serves as the office for Bernard's business, Hilbern Engineering Software, which he started four years ago. One of the fortunate breed for whom work is fun, Bernard is also a part-time computer consultant and author of several engineering manuals used in universities throughout the United States, including Harvard and MIT.

Bernard's zest for computers began with using programmable calculators in his water research engineering work. When personal computers came on the market, he started converting the calculator programs into BASIC language.

''When I saw the advantages of computers, I started putting my other work on computer programs, principally for my own use,'' he said. ''It took off from there.''

Dan, a student at Bishop Moore High School, Orlando, discusses his computer involvement with enthusiastic self-assurance -- for example, the software program he created for his father's business.

''It wasn't anything that complicated -- just a front-end engineering program,'' Dan said.

Writing term papers and reports occupy most of Dan's computer time. He said 60 percent of his classmates also do their schoolwork on a personal computer. A Life Scout working toward the rank of Eagle Scout, Dan will teach computer classes this year at camp La-No-Che, the main camp of the Central Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America. The camp is located in Paisley, near DeLand.

Plans for a college major are between biochemistry and biology, with a minor in computer science.

''For biochemistry -- which is genetics -- some computer knowledge is necessary, or it's useless to even consider it,'' said Dan.

Hilda is in charge of business finances, record keeping and correspondence. According to computer industry representatives, these are the most common uses for personal computers. Although she does a good deal of work on the computer, Hilda said she has never been inspired to pursue the mysteries of the machine. ''Because I touch-type, the work on a computer is much easier than it would be on an electric typewriter. If I should make a mistake -- and I occasionally do -- I just go back and change it instead of throwing out the whole thing. But I'm not interested in getting more involved with it.''

The Goldings' family affair with personal computers doesn't mean they ''sit huddled around the computer on dark nights,'' said Dan. But at least all their work can be done under the same roof.

Orlando Sentinel Articles