The History of Computers and the Internet

Lecture 2 - The History of Computers and the Internet

Charles Babbage, Alan Turner and Ada Byron (Lady Lovelace)started it all, and if most of gen Y knew who they were I’m about 90% sure they'd erect statues and temples in there name. The first computer although was really only used for mathematical equations and decoding German codes in WW2. It wasn’t until IBM, led by Gordon Moore, in the 1950s created the first commercially produced computer that it really got cooking. If anyone complains about slow computers or broadband, it should definitely not be to him (maybe Kevin Rudd though?).

Moving on in 1975, we get to Bill Gates, he dropped out of University and started Microsoft in his garage, and worked on writing a language called BASIC for the Altair, so that it could be used for simple applications like word processing, basic accounting and some games.

Getting to my favorite part of the lecture was definitely talking about the nerds Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. These men in my mind are geniuses, and I would not have known that had I not changed from PC. I always viewed Mac technolodgy as something strange and hard to understand, but in reality it is quite the opposite. Apple works on the concept that nothing should be more than 3 clicks away, and that simplicity in my opinion had led to the success of their company, that and its concepts in design. I found it unbelievable that they only sold 50 copies of the first computer, then again it had no keyboard, no case and mouse …and today they make the ultimate computers and technology and are worth over $100 million!

Unfortunately I was not enthusiastic about listening about IBM and Microsoft, especially since I changed my laptop for a Mac book. PC’s just make me furious with all the viruses and constant problems, I have none of that with Mac. Anyway, back to the lecture, all in all IBM needed a language and operating systems, and in the end turned to Microsoft instead of Kildall, although the actual operating system (Kudos) was largely based on Kildalls system. During the time of there first PC, Apple was on the fall due to Steve Jobs dropping out, but he came back and apple soared in the market place again when the iMac line was started.

Moving on to the Internet, and although it causes huge problems around the world and large amounts of crime we could not live without it today, god knows Generation Y couldn’t. It was RAND Corporation’s idea in 1960, and the World Wide Web was established 1990 due to the idea that the internet might be a good idea for communications. Thus leading to E-mail!!! Which lead to viruses and deleting chain mail for 5 minutes every time I get my e-mail off the web.

And finally we came to file FTP which is File transfer protocol (which really is just uploading files), IRC internet relay chat which is allowed people to type to each other in real time and... GAMES! My favorite part of computers! Also the downfall of my Mac, although some games may be played and there’s chess right?? In the lecture we talked about MUD’s MOO’s and MUSHes, which really were the first of the internet massive multiuser online role playing games, in which were texted based and you gave orders such as “go north” and “pick up sword”. They eventually lead on to games like World of War Craft, Everquest and Age of Empires (very good game).

More recently things added to the world of ever changing technology was the ever so addictive Myspace, Facebook, twitter, msn, MP3’s, and Skype.