Manahan, John Leinard V.

BSIS - 1B

“HISTORY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY”

An Introduction to IT
In a modern context, the term ‘IT’ is commonly used to describe computers and
networks within a business environment. It refers to their applications in: generating,
manipulating, storing, regaining, transmitting, handling, exchanging, studying and
securing all data or information in an electronic format. IT is also used as an umbrella
term to cover: television, telecommunication equipment, software, e-commerce and the
internet.

When thinking about IT you need to consider IT support within both your personal and
private life. Especially when it comes to the increasingly sophisticated level of cyber
crime we see every day. This is so that when you are surfing the web on your computer
or receiving an email, your personal and business data is kept safe. IT support also
covers technical problems you may come across, ensuing you are using the most up to
date software and finding the best tools possible to effectively complete tasks.

Humanity has been manipulating, storing, and communicating information since the
early Sumerians pioneered the written word in ancient Mesopotamia, circa 3000 BC.
The term IT did not appear until the mid-20th century however when an influx of early
office technology appeared. The term was first published in the 1958 Harvard Business
Review when authors Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas C. Whisler said “the new
technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it Information
Technology.”

Timeline of important IT milestones

Although this section could go as far back as 2400 BC with the production of the first
known calculator (abacus) in Babylonia, it will focus on the information technology boom
in recent centuries.

The first mechanical computer device was conceptualized and invented by English
mechanical engineer and polymath Charles Babbage in the early 19th century. Called
the ‘Difference Engine,’ it was originally created to aid in navigation calculations. Often
referred to as the ‘Father of the Computer’, Babbage came up with the more general
‘Analytical Engine’ in 1833 which could be used in fields other than navigation. Funding
constraints meant that Babbage died without seeing his machine completed, however
his son Henry completed a much simpler version of the machine in 1888, which was
successfully demonstrated to the public in 1906.

Early computers were not developed until the mid 1900s, when a more compact
analogue electromechanical computer, that used trigonometry, was installed on a
submarine to solve a problem with firing torpedoes at moving targets.

The Z2, the first electromechanical digital computer, invented by Engineer Konrad Zuse
in 1939, used electric switches to drive, and relays to perform calculations. Devices like
the Z2 had very low operating speeds and were eventually succeeded by faster all
electric machines, such as the first fully automatic 1941 Z3, also created by Zuse.

Colossus, a set of computers created between 1943 – 1945, are widely recognised as
the world’s first programmable electronic digital computers. Popularized by its use
during World War II, Colossus was used in intercepting and deciphering encrypted
German communications from the Enigma machine. English computer scientist,
mathematician, and theoretical biologist Alan Turing conceptualized modern computers
in his 1936 seminal paper ‘On Computable Numbers’, whereby programmable
instructions are stored in the memory of a machine.

Another early programmable computer was the Manchester Mark 1 developed by the
Victoria University of Manchester. Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill
began working on the machine in August of 1948, but the first operational version of the
computer was not available for use until 1949. The Manchester Mark 1 caused
controversy when British media outlets referred to it as an electronic brain, which
provoked a long-running debate with the department of Neurosurgery at Manchester
University. They asked whether an electronic computer could ever be truly creative.

It was not until 1951 when electrical engineering company Ferranti International plc
created the Ferranti Mark 1; that the world’s first general-purpose computer was
commercially available. Also called the Manchester Electronic Computer, the Ferranti
Mark 1 was first used by the Victoria University of Manchester.

The first computer used in processing commercial business applications was developed
by the Lyons Tea Corporation to increase business output in 1951 – Leo I.
A brief timeline of some other important events is listed below:
● 1835 – Morse Code invented by Samuel Morse

● 1838 – Electric Telegraph invented by Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse

● 1843 – Typewriter invented by Charles Thurber

● 1877 – Microphone invented by Emile Berliner

● 1888 – Hertz produces radio waves

● 1893 – Wireless communication invented by Nikola Tesla

● 1895 – Radio signals invented by Guglielmo Marconi

● 1898 – Remote control invented by Nikola Tesla

● 1907 – Radio amplifier invented by Lee DeForest

● 1919 – James Smathers develops the first electric typewriter

● 1923 – Electronic Television invented by Philo Farnsworth

● 1933 – FM radio is patented by inventor Edwin H. Armstrong

● 1937 – Alan Turing conceptualizes the computing machine

● 1948 – One of the first programmable computers, the Manchester Mark 1

designed by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill

● 1951 – MIT’s Whirlwind becomes the first computer in the world to allow users to
input commands with a keyboard

● 1956 – Optical fiber invented by Basil Hirschowitz, C. Wilbur Peters, and

Lawrence E. Curtis

● – The hard disk drive invented by IBM

● 1958 – Silicon Chip: the first integrated circuit is produced by Jack Kilby and
Robert Noyce

● 1959 – The first photocopier, the Xerox Machine enters the consumer market

● 1961 – Optical disc invented by David Paul Gregg

● 1963 – Computer mouse invented by Douglas Engelbart

● – Cloud computing invented by Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider

● 1967 – Hypertext software invented by Andries Van Dam and Ted Nelson

● 1971 – Email invented by Ray Tomlinson

● – Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) invented by James Fergason

● – Floppy Disk invented by David Noble

● – First commercially available microprocessor, the Intel 4004 is invented

● 1972 – The first video game console designed for use on TV’s is invented – the
Magnavox Odyssey

● 1973 – Ethernet invented by Bob Metcalfe and David Boggs

● – Personal computer invented by Xerox

● 1976 – The inkjet digital printer is invented by Hewlett-Packard

● 1982 – WHOIS (pronounced who is) is released as one of the earliest domain
search engines

● 1984 – The first laptop computer enters the commercial market

● 1989 – World Wide Web (the internet) invented by Sir Tim-Berners Lee

● 1990 – A student at McGill University in Montreal develops the first search

engine named Archie

● 1992 – Complete I.T. Founded

● 1993 – Benny Landau unveils the E-Print 1000 as the world’s first digital colour
printing press

● – Xerox 914 is released as the first successful commercial plain paper copier

● 1996 – The Nokia 9000 Communicator is released in Finland as the first internet
enabled mobile device

● 1998 – Google established

● – PayPal is launched, enabling large scale payment via the internet

● 2000 – Microsoft develop the first tablet computer

● 2001 – Digital Satellite Radio

● – Apple releases the iPod

● 2003 – WordPress, an open source website content management system is

launched by Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg

● – LinkedIn is established

● 2004 – Emergence of Web 2.0 – Humans move away from consumers of internet
material to active participation

● – Facebook established by Mark Zuckerberg

● 2005 – USB Flash Drives replace floppy disks

● – Google Analytics established

● – YouTube is launched as a video platform

● 2006 – Twitter is launched to the public

● 2007 – Apple Inc. debuts the iPhone

● – Amazon releases the Kindle, marking a new era in reading and book
technology

● 2009 – Bitcoin is developed by unknown programmers under the name of

Satoshi Nakamoto

● 2010 – Apple debuts the iPad

● – The beginning of responsive website design

● 2011 – 22 nanometre computer chips enter mass production

● 2012 – Quad-core smartphones and tablets are releases, offering faster

processing power

● 2014 – 14 nanometre computer chips are released

● – The market for smartwatches reaches 5 million

 ● 2015 – Apple releases the Apple Watch

● 2016 – Supercomputers reach 100 petaflops

● – Mobile devices overtake wired devices as a means of using the internet

● 2017 – 10 nanometre chips enter service

● Pre Mechanical Age

● Mechanical Age
● Electromechanical Age
● Electronic Age

The Pre Mechanical Age

The earliest age of technology has been dated back to the pre mechanical age
(between 3000 B.C. and 1450 A.D.). Human beings at that time primarily communicated
with each other using simple picture drawings called petroglyphs. They created these
drawings on rock. This form of language was used to tell a story, to keep record of how
many animals one owned and to mark their territory. This eventually led to the arrival of
the first writing system known as ¨cuneiform¨. Instead of using pictures to express
words, signs were composed to correspond with spoken sounds. Afterwards, the
Phoenician alphabet was created which consisted of a more simplified writing technique
using symbols to express single syllables and consonants. Later on, vowels were added
and names were given to the letters to create the alphabet that we use today.

As the alphabets and the writing systems became more popular and common, there
was more and more recorded information. This resulted in finding better ways to
communicate and keep a record of information. The first writing material was simply a
pen-like object to create markings in wet clay. This led to more useful forms of writing
materials from writing on bark, leaves, leather to writing on the papyrus plant to making
paper with rags to the making of modern-day paper we use today. However, as more
and more people used these new early technologies, they had to confront a new
problem. How could they safely store all of this information for a long period of time?
This resulted in different methods for record keeping such as clay tablets and scrolls
which led to books and libraries.
The numbering systems and the abacus, the first calculator, were also invented during
this period.

The Mechanical Age

During the mechanical age (between 1450 and 1840) many extraordinary inventions
took place. This is where we can see similarities between our modern-day technologies
and the rising technologies back then.
Due to many new technological inventions, there was a great interest in computation
and information. There were several machines that were invented, one of them being
the printing press. With this new movable, metal-type printing machine, the process of
composing pages took only a few, short minutes which made written technology easily
accessible to the public. This led to other useful techniques such as the development of
book indexes and the use of page numbers. These methods of organizing information
paved the way for the development of files and databases. Other major machine
inventions were the following:

The slide rule (1600s)- an analog computer that allowed users to multiply and divide.
The Pascaline (around 1642) – a mechanical computer that allowed users to add,
subtract, multiply and divide two numbers. Leibniz's machine (1670s) – a machine that
was an improvement of the Pascaline that included additional components that made it
easier for users to multiply and divide. The difference engine (1820s) – a machine
creation that could calculate numbers and print the results. Even though these machine
inventions were not as effective as the latest technologies we use today, they play a big
role in the evolution process of information technology.

The Electromechanical Age

During the time of the electromechanical age (between 1840 and 1940), the beginning
of telecommunication emerged. Many revolutionary technologies were invented in this
stage that led to modern information technology systems. First, a new method of
communicating information was discovered with the voltaic battery. This discovery was
the first electrical battery that created and stored electricity. Afterwards, the telegraph
was invented to communicate with others over great distances through the use of
electricity. This led to the development of Morse Code. This was a system built to
communicate with others by breaking down the alphabet into dots and dashes,
transformed into electrical impulses and transmitted over a wire. This was very similar to
today´s digital technologies that break down information. Shortly afterwards, the
telephone and radio were invented. Later on, the first digital computer was created. It
consisted of electromechanical computing components, data and program readers,
automatic typewriters and input/output and control readers. It was different from our
modern computers but it resulted in an interest to explore other ways to make the
system smaller and to operate more effectively.

The Electronic Age

The electronic age (from 1940 to present day) is the stage of information technology
that we currently live in. It first started when electronic equipment including computers
began to take place. At the beginning of this stage, it was realized that electronic
vacuum tubes could be used instead of electromechanical parts. The first high-speed
digital computer was the ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. It was
able to solve a large class of numerical problems through reprogramming. It was also
one thousand times faster than that of electro-mechanical machines from the previous
age. However, the problem with the ENIAC was that it didn’t have the capacity to store
program instructions in its memory. Then, the EDSAC, Electronic Delay Storage
Automatic Calculator was created and was recognized as the first stored-program
computer. Afterwards, the world’s first commercial computer was invented known as
LEO (Lyons Electronic Office).

The evolution of information technology and the development of computers have been
grouped into five different stages or generations. They are:

The First Generation (roughly from 1940-1956)

The Second Generation (roughly from 1956-1963)
The Third Generation (roughly from 1964-1971)
The Fourth Generation (roughly from 1971-Present)
The Fifth Generation (Present to Future)
The First Generation

During the first generation, computer systems used vacuum tubes. The machines were
huge and took up entire rooms. They consumed a large amount of electricity and
therefore, were expensive to operate. They also generated a lot of heat which resulted
in malfunctions.

These first generation

Computers relied on machine language and could only solve one problem at a time. It
also took a long, complicated process to set up a new problem onto the machine.
Punched cards and paper tape were used for input and printouts were used to display
output. The ENIAC was an example of a first generation computer but it was
programmed by plugboard and switches.

The Second Generation

In the second generation, vacuum tubes were replaced with transistors. This was a
major improvement, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, reliable
and more energy-efficient. They were also becoming more accessible since high-level
programming languages were being developed such as COBOL and FORTRAN.
Second generation computers leaned away from cryptic, binary machine language to
symbolic, assembly languages which programmed written instruction. Magnetic core
technology was also used instead of magnetic drum which made it possible for
computers to store their instructions in their memory. Little by little, magnetic tape and
disks took the place of punched cards.

The Third Generation

By the time the third generation arrived, there was an increase in the speed and the
efficiency of computers due to the development of integrated circuits. Transistors were
made smaller and installed on silicon chips. Punched cards and printouts became
obsolete since operating systems, keyboards and monitors were created. This allowed
computers to operate many different applications at one time with one main program to
monitor and store information. Programming languages were developed that made
programming easier to do. BASIC was one of those languages. For the first time in
history, society as a whole had access to computers.

The Fourth Generation

Fourth generation computers upscaled to integrated circuits that contained a numerous

amount of transistors on one, small chip. Microprocessors contained memory, logic and
control circuits (central processing unit) on a single chip. Computer systems went from
enormous vacuum tubes that filled an entire room to a tiny chip that could fit in your
hand. Computers like IBM and Apple PC (personal computer) were created for both
personal and business purposes. Language software products such as Word for
Windows and Access were also introduced which enabled people to use computers
without the necessity of any technical knowledge. As these fourth generation small
computers became popular and spread worldwide, networks, handheld devices and
finally the internet were developed.

The Fifth Generation

We are currently in the fifth generation. A lot of today´s research focuses on artificial
intelligence, the creation of intelligent machines that function and behave like humans.
Speech recognition, learning, planning and problem solving are some of the activities
that are being tested and performed. Even though artificial intelligence is still in
development, there are some applications that are being used such as voice
recognition. Overall, the main goal is to develop devices that respond to natural
language input and that are capable of learning.

In conclusion, information technology has been in existence for thousands of years and
has been evolving since the beginning of time – and it is still evolving. Human beings
have been collecting information in different ways and have discovered different forms
to communicate through the use of technologies. Information technology has been
essential to our lives and has made a huge impact throughout history. Without it, we
wouldn’t be here today with the latest, advanced technologies.

The Pre Mechanical Age: 3000 B.C. - 1450 A.D.

1. Writing and Alphabets--communication.First humans communicated only
through speaking and picture drawings.3000 B.C., the Sumerians in
Mesopotamia (what is today southern Iraq) devised cuniformAround 2000 B.C.,
Phoenicians created symbolsThe Greeks later adopted the Phoenician alphabet
and added vowels; the Romans gave the letters Latin names to create the
alphabet we use today.
2. Paper and Pens--input technologies.Sumerians' input technology was a stylus
that could scratch marks in wet clay.About 2600 B.C., the Egyptians write on the
papyrus plant around 100 A.D., the Chinese made paper from rags, on which
modern-day papermaking is based.
3. Books and Libraries: Permanent Storage Devices.Religious leaders in
Mesopotamia kept the earliest "books"The Egyptians kept scrollsAround 600
B.C., the Greeks began to fold sheets of papyrus vertically into leaves and bind
them together.
4. The First Numbering Systems, Egyptian system:The numbers 1-9 as vertical
lines, the number 10 as a U or circle, the number 100 as a coiled rope, and the
number 1,000 as a lotus blossom.The first numbering systems similar to those in
use today were invented between 100 and 200 A.D. by Hindus in India who
created a nine-digit numbering system.Around 875 A.D., the concept of zero was
developed.
5. The First Calculators: The Abacus. One of the very first information processors.
As shown on the image above.