PC woes

Back in the Good Old Days, when computers knew their place in the world, it was easy to figure out what was wrong when they didn't work.

A PC was basically composed of three things:
1. A power supply.
2. A motherboard.
3. An I/O system (keyboard, mouse, monitor).

If the power supply was bad, nothing would happen when you flicked the switch.

If the motherboard was bad, the power supply fan would come on, but nothing else would happen when you flicked the switch.

If the I/O system was bad, it was a simple matter to swap in another keyboard, mouse or monitor to see which of those components had gone bad. And replace it.

Nowadays, of course, not only do you have to worry about the hardware components, you have to worry about the software components.

The BIOS. The operating system. The I/O drivers. The network components. The Internet. Viruses. Hackers. Trojan horses.

The computer is a Tool. It is not intended to be a source of entertainment. It is supposed to help us accomplish a task, whether it be managing our affairs (budgeting, accounting, etc.), communicating with other people (writing documents, emails, etc.) or creating even more useful tools (spreadsheets, accounting packages, etc.).

Where did we go wrong?

I keep dreaming of the day when the true Email appliance will appear, a one-button-push combination voice-and-text client. Is it here yet? Did I miss it?

Or the day when the AI Accountant will do my bookkeeping for me, gather my receipts from the stores I frequent, track my income and outgo, and tell me how overdrawn I am at the bank (so my lovely wife doesn't have to do it).

And if perchance I choose to abuse the privilege of owning a PC to try and turn it into a gaming machine, could I perhaps have a game that doesn't eventually lock up and die?

Just asking.