Computers

Where to start? The history of technology is absolutely incredible.

Computers.  After watching the film in class on the history of computers, I realize how far technology has come.  When computers were first introduced and manufactured, they were big, bulky, and unaffordable.  As time progressed and people worked on the aesthetics of the computer, it became more popular and marketable.  Who would want a computer that weighed 30 tons?  Well, in 1946 that's all there was to work with.  The ENIAC was completely revolutionary for the time it was developed; however, it was too much work to control it and too much money for it to be marketed.  People had to make changes in order to produce a computer that everyone can use in homes and at work.  The IBM system created another business-type computer in 1964.  However, the Datapoint 2200 was one of the first personal computers that influenced some of the technology used in today's computers.

One of the most amazing stories to me is that of the Palo Alto and later on the Apple.  While watching the movie in class, I learned that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak generated ideas for the Apple computer from the introduction of the Palo Alto.  If you aren't fast enough in producing new technology, you will be beat. This is what Jobs and Wozniak proved in the development of computers.  Although, Xerox had the original concept for the technology behind their computer, they failed to produce it to sell to the market.  This was their biggest mistake that cost Xerox billions in what they could have made.  Apple then took this concept of the graphical interface, screen, keyboard and mouse to a new level and reconstructed until they came out with the Apple II.  Do Jobs and Wozniak deserve all of the credit for the Apple computer?

Something that I think about often is how much the computer has advanced in my lifetime.  As far back as I could remember, I recall sitting on my Mac that looks ancient nowadays.  Also, the fact that I had to interrupt my house phone-line to connect to CompuServe boggles my mind.  Today, we can be automatically connected to the internet on our cell phones.  There is no dial up and no way of being denied access.  I can go on and on about how technology has evolved throughout my life, but ultimately the most important fact is that no one can go a day without using some form of technology.