For this entry, I will examine the second half of Swedin and Ferro's book, Computers: The Life Story of Technology. In this section of the book the authors move away from the history and development of computers in general and begin talking more about how computers made their way into the homes of our society. They begin by explaining the process that computers took in order to develop to the point where they could become personal computers.
A huge cornerstone of this progress was the development of the CPU Microprocessor by Intel. This was the first step to creating a smaller computer. This development sparked Gary Kildall to dream of being able to have a desktop computer. As I have said in my previous posts humans are constantly trying to make things better and this is another prime example. Roberts eventually created the Altair 8800 and computers changed forever. Once this development was made, society realized that a desktop computer could exist. The only problem was who to sell it to. However, the companies that began to develop these computers realized that if they worked well and efficiently, they could definitely become popular.
Paul Allen and Bill gates developed the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800. This was hugely important in the development of computer use among non-experts. Now people no longer had to use Intel microprocessor code and therefore the computer became more accessible to all people.
While all of this was happening, competing companies were doing their best to produce a better computer. Companies such as IBM and Apple did their best to produce a better personal computer than all the other companies. This is a very important fact because as far as I can see, the explosion of technology over the last few decades has also been largely influenced by competition. The authors of the book write that "One of the major reasons for the success of the Intel-based personal computer is that other companies also made Intel-like chips, forcing Intel to continually strive to improve their products." (p 102).
The fact that competition was such a huge factor means two things. First is that it forced prices to go down. Obviously if Intel had a monopoly on the market computers could still be extremely expensive. Competition also sparked innovation as new and old companies competed for customers. Without the competition there is a chance that all personal computers could still be updated models of the Altair 8800. Competition has clearly done great things for development during technology.
The next very important part of this section is about the World Wide Web. Networking computers began but was never very effective or on a scale as large as the World Wide Web. The internet became popular first through networks such as ARPAnet and later the internet developed. With dial-up providers now helping all people connect their computers via telephone lines, the internet became extremely accessible. Obviously it was not as extensive as it is today, but it still boomed. These Dial-up providers are extremely important in the development of the internet. I remember first getting AOL, it took about a year to get online, and I would get kicked off every time our phone rang. However my love for the internet started right then.
The internet in a way is like a drug. From those first moments on AOL I was overwhelmed with the barrage of information at my fingertips. IMing my friends, e-mail, and websites became huge landmarks in my life, and in the lives of our whole society. Without connecting to the internet for a few days I, and many others, feel symptoms of withdrawal. Who won last night's game? The president did what? DID ANYONE POST ON MY WALL?!?!
The authors of this book explain the development of the internet also using the historical context explaining how the Cold War became the first time networking computers was really thought about and tried. The internet, search engines, and hacking are all covered in the final chapter of the book, however I believe it is more important to realize what these things do to our lives in reality. I'm sure no one ever worried about having their identity stolen through ENIAC or the Altair 8800. However, the developments in technology that Ferro and Swedin describe have changed not only our technological lives, but our lives in general.
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