Evolution Of The Digital Revolution

There have been numerous changes in the design of computers since the time of the machine’s creation. Society has come a long way from inventing the Babylonian abacus to building the first electronic, digital computer, to introducing more than ever compact personal computers, to now exploring artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, it is important to note that there were many major fundamental changes that paved way to these more advanced forms of computing that are popular in modern times. From the 1950’s to the 1970’s, there were many influential leaders and companies, such as IBM and Intel, that provided the vision and resources that made a digital revolution possible.

Said changes in the use and development of computers encompass two phases

During this period, these computers were expensive and offered little software, so hobbyists mainly enjoyed them. The keyboard and the mouse were the predominant input devices and monitors and printers provided output, thought these were originally sold separately or as kits. In the 1970’s, the Mark 8 and MITS Altair became the first personal computers. Integrated circuit chips predetermined the necessity of the microprocessor to replace magnetic cores as “primary storage device for mainframe computers.” Intel produced the most successful semiconductor memory in 1970 when it introduced the 1103, “with one-kilobit dynamic random-access memory.” Intel and a Japanese calculator company, Busicom (short for Business Computers), worked together to create a set of four chips: “a two-kilobit read-only memory to store the program instructions (known as the 4001), a 320-bit random-access memory to store data (the 4002), a 10-bit shift register (the 4003), and a four-bit central processing unit (the 4004).” (Aspray) In 1971, the Intel 4004 became the first general-purpose multiprocessor. Intel advertised their chips to be used with “business machines, aviation and medical applications, and test equipment…[and in] durable consumer goods such as washing machines and microwave

The major changes in computer design from the 1950’s to the 1970’s is marked with the transition from using vacuum tubes, to transistors, integrated circuits, and eventually microprocessors. After each progression, computers became smaller, more reliable, and encouraged the development of compatible computers. This, in addition to the availability of more functional software, led to the increase in personal computer use along businesses, the government, academic institutions, and the military. It is important to note that the IBM System/360 Model 40 computer had 128K bytes of memory (Rattenbury), when it is common for our computers today to have around 4,000,000 kilobytes, or 4 gigabytes, of memory. Computers input and output devices have also shifted from punch cards and magnetic tape, to keyboards, monitors, and printers, which started the development of more advanced technology, such as today’s touch screens and 3D