Week 3 Tutorial and Lecture

History of Computing

The history of computing is long and diverse and spans a long long time! Some interesting facts within the history of computing include:

• 1950's-IBM first commercially produce computers
• 1960's-The idea of the Internet came from RAND corporation in the 1960's while this "think-tank" was considering nuclear war scenarios
• 1975- the first PC (personal computer) is made yet does barely anything useful as it doesn't have a language
• 1975- Bill Gates starts Microsoft in his garage to devise a language for computers to communicate with people. Computers today would not be the same without the input from Bill Gates and his company now one of the most successful and profitable companies in the world. Microsoft
  
• 1978- Apple II was launched at the West Coast Computer Fair. Apple computers as one of the worlds largest computing firms obviously have a long history all of their own.This website holds some very interesting facts and a detailed timeline about the history of apple computers within the history of computing framework. http://www.apple-history.com/

• 1990's- The World Wide Web is seen as one use of the internet so computers can communicate with one another

Visual Timeline of recent computing milestones:

1981	IBM The IBM PC - Home Computer	From an "Acorn" grows a personal computer revolution
1981	Microsoft MS-DOS Computer Operating System	From "Quick And Dirty" comes the operating system of the century.
1983	Apple Lisa Computer	The first home computer with a GUI, graphical user interface.
1984	Apple Macintosh Computer	The more affordable home computer with a GUI.
1985	Microsoft Windows	Microsoft begins the friendly war with Apple.

(http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm) (Written by Mary Bellis, accessed 12/09/09)

Internet History:
early internet applications:

1. electronic mail
2. file transfer protocol
3. internet relay chat
4. multiple user dungeon