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Franklin Roosevelt used radio to help the nation through a financial crisis; it's likely that Barack Obama will utilize 21st century technology to deal with a similar problem.

The date was March 12, 1933. America was in the depths of what became known as the Great Depression. And a voice came on the radio:

"My friends, I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking."

It was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, using the comparatively young medium of radio to bypass newspapers and magazines, directly addressing the nation in his first "fireside chat" about a problem that resonates eerily today.

"I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, and why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be," Roosevelt said.

This 14-minute talk, coming just days after Roosevelt's inauguration, demonstrates that he fully understood the powerful impact of a human voice in the nation's living rooms. It was to be the first of more than two dozen such intimate visits during his tenure in the White House.

"I know that when you understand what we in Washington have been about, I shall continue to have your cooperation as fully as I have had your sympathy and your help during the past week."

OK, so what does this 75-year-old history lesson have to do with computing, you ask?

There is every indication that Barack Obama's White House will use the Internet the way Roosevelt used radio: To make the same kind of direct connection with the American people.

You can see it happening already at Change.gov, the official Web site of the president-elect.

Yes, there are the expected biographical sketches of Obama and Joe Biden. You'll find here news announcements and a blog that highlights Flickr slideshows and YouTube video clips.

But there's also a page to share " your vision about what America can be." And if you want a job with the new administration (and you don't already have a political connection), there's a page to submit your application.

After the inaugural, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see President Obama taking the "fireside chat" into the 21st century as a YouTube clip or a podcast. Why not? YouTube says its users spent 14.5 million hours viewing Obama campaign videos.

And it's likely that the Obama administration will continue to make clever use of online networking to keep its finger on the pulse of the nation in the same way his campaign used the Web to rally supprters and secure contributions.

"Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plans," Roosevelt said in that first fireside chat. "You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to resore our financial system, and it is up to you to support and make it work."

"Together we cannot fail."

Sound familiar?

LINK: Read and listen to Roosevelt's fireside chats

Microsoft

Windows 1.0 looked quite primitive.

This month marks a quarter century since the release of Microsoft Windows 1.0. A variant of that primitive operating system is what most of us now use to power our 21st century computers.

Windows 1.0 did not make much of a splash when it was introduced in 1985, and it wouldn't make much of an impression today, either. Its "windows" did not overlap; rather they were displayed on the screen as "tiles." Because there were initially very few software programs supporting Microsoft Windows, it didn't gain much headway as a graphical operating system against Apple's Macintosh, which had almost a two-year head start.

Even though I was active in computing when Windows 1.0 was launched (I owned a used original IBM PC with two floppy disks, no hard drive and a green screen monochrome display — muy caliente!), the software was a little too exotic for my setup.

The signs wouldn't really align for Microsoft Windows until version 3.0 emerged in 1990. That's when the first PCs were sold with Windows built-in and the available hardware started to catch up with the capabilities of the software, which begins to look a lot more sophisticated and functional (see links for screenshots below).

Love it or hate it, Windows changed the face of personal computing for the whole world. But I am encouraged that Apple's Macintosh system continues to be a viable competitor thanks in no small part to its family of other clever products (iPod, iPhone) that offer users a sample of the company's superior engineering talent.

LINK: Windows 1.0 screenshot gallery
LINK: Windows 3.0 screenshot gallery

As I write this, a new camcorder is on its way to the Computer Corner testing lab. It's the latest model in the Flip Video series, and this one is significant because it can shoot in HD. If it follows the tradition of its predecessors, it will be easy to use, inexpensive, and will provide above-average images. Can they do it again? Look for a full report next week.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com