Some say that Bill Gates tyrannizes the world of PC users. I disagree. The tyranny we all live under is the tyranny of the personal computer itself. Like a puffed up dictator, the PC governs the way we work with complete totality, commanding us to "click here" or to "type in there." We are constantly changing our work style to suit the needs of a machine. Isn't it about time that the machine adapted to our needs? Fortunately, a growing number of applications aim to help us take control of our virtual desktops.

So-called "natural computing" programs - such as software that lets you speak to your PC or that identifies you to your computer - promise to increase computer security, to reduce carpal-tunnel syndrome, to boost productivity, and to make working with PCs a lot less frustrating.

Is all of this great stuff ready for prime time? Not quite. But some of it is good enough to accomplish specific tasks - enabling people, for example, to write reports by speaking to their PC instead of pounding away on their keyboard. So hang in there. I'll show you what's "natural," and what's not, about these newfangled programs and devices.

Its Master's Voice

Speech-recognition software has been a hot market since Dragon Systems released its NaturallySpeaking software last summer. IBM chimed in with a similar product, ViaVoice, soon afterward. Both programs run on Windows, and both enable you to dictate your ruminations instead of typing them into your PC. The results can seem magical - but think about your needs before buying either of these programs.

NaturallySpeaking Preferred ($159) and ViaVoice Gold ($149) both claim an accuracy rate of 95%, but in my experience, the rate is closer to 90%. Which means that 1 out of 10 words comes out wrong. For example, one program wrote "might mail" when I said "email." Such miscues are funny at first but infuriating later.

The companies also claim that the programs can handle up to 150 or 160 words of dictation per minute. Don't believe them. My best efforts produced about 90 words per minute. With enough caffeine in me, I can type nearly as fast - and with fewer errors.

These caveats aside, NaturallySpeaking and ViaVoice can be godsends. For people suffering from carpal-tunnel syndrome, they can bring relief from the pain of typing. And the software is certainly good enough for those who work in a quiet, enclosed space. (Noisy, open office environments can reduce the programs' accuracy considerably.)

Of the two packages, I found that NaturallySpeaking Preferred was slightly better at following my dictation than the IBM product. When necessary, I could also quickly edit text by using simple voice commands, such as "scratch that."

While ViaVoice Gold sometimes made me resort to mouse and keyboard action to make edits, it proved equal to most tasks. Its strong suit is its ability to communicate easily with other programs, including Word, Corel, Excel, WordPerfect, and SmartSuite. (Dragon's software works with Word 97 and WordPerfect.)

If one of these programs fits your work environment, use a system with at least a 200-MHz Pentium processor and 64 MB of RAM.

Coordinates: NaturallySpeaking Preferred, Dragon Systems Inc., 800-437-2466, http://www.naturalspeech.com; ViaVoice Gold, IBM Corp., 800-825-5263, http://www.ibm.com/viavoice