History of Computers and Internet

Brandon Soileau

• In 1981, International Business Machines Corp. entered the personal Computer market, and was welcomed as a competitor, rather slyly, by Apple. IBM’s OC boasted a disk operating system that became an industry standard. Hewlett-Packard had launched its first Pc in 1980. the early ’80s were to be dominated by microcomputer expansions – and by a torrid pace of start-ups.

• Computers were pioneered in the crudest form by ancient people in the form of abacuses, then later, no long before the industrial Revolution, mechanical computational devices.

The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960’s who saw great potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific and military fields.

• 1950s USSR launches Sputnik, firs artificial earth satellite. In response, US forms the Advances Research Agency the following year within the department of defense to establish US lead in science and technology applicable to the military

• The development of the modern day computer was the result of advances in technologies and man's need to quantify. Papyrus helped early man to record language and numbers. The abacus was one of the first counting machines.

• Some of the earlier mechanical counting machines lacked the technology to make the design work. For instance, some had parts made of wood prior to metal manipulation and manufacturing.

• In the 1950s and early 1960s, before the widespread inter-networking that led to the Internet, most communication networks were limited in that they only allowed communications between the stations on the network. Some networks had gateway or bridges between these bridges were often limited or built specifically for a single use.

• In October, 1962, Licklider was hired by Jack Ruina as Director of the newly established IPTO within DARPA, with a mandate to interconnect the United States Department of Defense’s main computers at Cheyenne Mountain, the Pentagon, and SAC HQ.

• While developed countries with technological infrastructures were joining the Internet, developing countries began to experience a digital divide separating them from the internet.

• Since the 1990s, the Internet’s governance and organization has been of global importance to commerce.

• A study conducted by Jupiter Research anticipates that a 38 percent increase in the number of people with online access will mean that, by 2011, 22 percent of the Earth's population will surf the Internet regularly.