Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

BYOD or Bring Your Own Data is a big deal. It has been in computing since the start of computing. Nothing new here folks, but it is still important.

Everyone is a data scientist (sort of). Everyone works for a data-centric organization (sort of). Data is the new oil (sort of). Data is the new … well pick your favorite cliche’.

And there are these tools that tout “bring your own data” or BYOD. What is that about?

I have been bringing my own data to computers since I owned my first one in 1983. Yes, I am that old and I was late to owning my own computer. (Many computer users bought home computers in the late 1970s. I was too tired at the end of the day to do more computing.) I had a Kaypro II—an outstanding CP/M machine.

I used BYOD software called WordStar. My data were my words. I put my words into WordStar, WordStar saved my words for updating later, and WordStar formatted my words for printing (on an IBM dot matrix printer). It all worked quite well.

An earlier use of BYOD was the American census of 1890 where Herman Hollerith used punch cards and machines to process the data that were brought to them. It all worked quite well.

But, but, but… cry the marketers of today’s BYOD products. We’re talking about something else, something better, something you should buy from us.

Of course BYOD means different things to different people. Let’s, however, not be carried away with our own hyperbole. Users of computing machines have been “bringing your own data” since they have used computing machines.