From generation to generation, the technology improvements have been even more advanced than the previous. As time goes on we find new ways to further our knowledge on the digital world and with these new facts that are obtained, we make new inventions that we cannot even imagine until it is right in front of us. These inventions range from those large boxes with a screen your grandparents used to own to the smartphone everyone has in the palm of their hand. We really have come very far from where we started, but how far to be exact? Well, let’s jump into the time machine and take a trip down memory lane.
To start, we have five different generations of computers. It can sorta be thought of as the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. The past generations of our technologies have been much larger and slower than what we have today. Now, we can simply press one button and get millions of results within a second. People are already looking into the future at this very moment.
Researchers see very high intelligence to come. They are imagining artificial intelligence to radically change the world we live in , as stated by www.webopedia.com. If computers could form thoughts on their own using the different codes put into them the universe would have a major change but, whether it is for better or worse is another story.
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The thought of first computer was generated by two men named Presper Eckert and John Mauchly in 1946 as said by www.mrhames.org. These years would looked at as “The Vacuum Tube Years” due to the use of vacuum tubes which produced a great source of heat. According to www.britannica.com, it was the mainframe era where several people shared the same machine- “Many persons, one computer.” Then things began to change.
Now we enter the second generation of computers. Since the have their base on what to work on they have to improve it, right? Well here we are in “The Era of the Transistor” (www.mrhames.org) where it has gotten smaller and more reliable. Compared to the vacuum tubes, it gives off basically no heat. It was created by John Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattain in 1947 to “relay and switch electronic signals.” Without the production of this product, space travel may not have even existed!
On to the third generation, Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby dedicated the years of 1965 – 1970 to finding new ways on how to make the device before them smaller as reported by www.mrhames.org. These men contributed to the lifetime of the computer by making it more cost efficient and also increased the power. In a billionth of a second, those computers could fulfill the instructions given to it. Since then, “transistors that can be placed on a single chip has doubled every two years.” However, once again, things started to change.
Starting at 1971 up until now, the microprocessor was developed (www.mrhames.org). With the help of Ted Hoff computers went even further. This generation included “the jump to monolithic integrated circuits.” With this, the computers became even more faster. Using the invention of a microprocessor, we got the small personal computers we have today.
However, according to www.britannica.com, the devices we hold in the palm of our hand even go back to the 1960’s when Alan Kay had an idea. He had the vision of “a small, powerful notebook-style computer called Dynabook.” And here we are today. We are in the age when everywhere we look we see a person typing away while staring at their smartphone. Researchers do not see a stop here, though. Currently, we so no definite ending point for the advancements of computer technology. This draws us into the fifth generation- our future.
The fifth generation is the generation of artificial intelligence. Imagine saying a simple command and your computer understanding what to do. We are already progressing in this field with some technologies that exist today. With the presence of devices such as Alexa created by amazon and Tesla, we have already started on the road to the cyberspace taking over the real world. What is the goal of artificial intelligence, though? Well according to www.webopedia.com, the dream is “to develop devices that respond to natural language input & are capable of learning and self-organization.” Who would have imagined that people could even see a future for that back when the computer started? It is almost like we are living in a sci-fi movie.
However, these ideas do raise a few questions. How did we get here? Why are people trying to improve on what is already great? Well, there are a few reasons to consider. In the book titled Rapid Development by Steve McConnell, the wanting to please the people is a reason for improvement. No product would survive if it’s customers did not buy what they are selling. People like the idea of new and improved so if it is marketed that way, that product will most likely thrive. In addition to this, the evolution of time plays a big role in the computer movement.
As time changes so does society which mean people will live different lifestyles than they did before. As stated by www.study.com, “the lifestyles of individuals even one generation apart are drastically different from each other.” Every generation has different beliefs and characteristics which will definitely influence the ideas people have for technological advancements. Finally, the advancement of computers in also in debt to the increase of social mobility. With the access to more information this factor allows, people are presented with new opportunities and ideas. Furthering our knowledge of the digital world opens doors of limitless possibilities!
It is hard to even imagine a world without our phones and computers. We do our homework on it, we go online shopping, watch television, or even video chat our friends. It affects our lives to the point where our daily lives would change drastically without it. Without the technology business, many people would also be without jobs. For example, my father works in the I.T. department of an organization called Save the Children where he is on a computer all day.
Many lives of Americans and other people around the world would would have such a different life than they have now. It is such a curiosity to me on what would happen if there was a sudden shut down on all access to technological devices. How would the average household function without their mainframe?
To conclude, technology is everywhere. In any direction you look there is bound to be some form or use of it and it is inescapable. It even goes back all the way to the 1940’s . However, we are much more advanced than when we first started. Now computers run much smoother, faster, cheaper, and are built in a more efficient way. The evolution of our society is such an extraordinary thing and it does not appear to be stopping. Who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe computers will be so advanced you simply speak to them and they will write for you without having to move a muscle. The possibilities are endless. Just take a look around.
