Nicholas Sylvester

Mr. Katin

CPI English

April 23, 2000

Hobbies: Computers

Computers have not been around for a long time; Ed Roberts invented the first Personal Computer in April of 1974. The first computer that Roberts invented was the Altair 8800. It did not come with a monitor, keyboard, or a mouse and it was only programmable by the front panel switches. This was the first step as to what we know now; it brought the idea to other companies to develop smaller and faster computers. Today Microsoft, the biggest computers software company in the world, was started by Bill Gates. It was one of the first to write Basic compiler along with Paul Allen. The Basic compiler was introduced to computers in July of 1975 and helped start the software and hardware boom . The first computer built was a system that Roberts put together in the basement; this kind of system was not for public selling. One of the reasons is there was no software, no operating system, and nothing useful until IBM made a deal with Microsoft to sell the first operating system know as PC/DOS 1.0 The invention of computers has made a significant impact on the world today due to the size computers, its ease of learning, the knowledge of computers and the affordability.

Computers were first available to the public in 1982 when Columbia Data Systems released their MPC computer (Dick Perron 1-3) Today computers are everywhere; they are even on your refrigerator now. Television took 20 years before it took it. Computers only took 4 years and are still growing. The first computer was small but it didn't include a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. It was a box, which had 256 bytes of RAM and cost about $395.00, which is the same price for a low-grade computer today. If your willing to pay the big bucks computers can be as small as your palm and work as good as a big desktop computer. Everyday computer companies are trying to make computers smaller, making them easier to travel and store. The smaller computers get the more you pay for them but in turn the larger the computer the less you pay. For a bout $400.00 today you can receive a desktop computer, which was the same cost for the first computer to be sold. Computers today come with a monitor, the computer it self, and a keyboard. With the technology we have these computers are getting smaller every day; computers are turning into hand held devices that have the same layout. Some of these new hand held computers work by eliminating the huge monitor and replacing it with a smaller one. There is no keyboard, you directly type on the screen, and the microchips are smaller.

Software companies like Microsoft and Adobe have made computers very easy to use and learn. Putting together a computer is simple; everything is color-coded and components only fit in one place. With the multimedia we have today people can learn how to use a computer within fifteen minutes, because there are videos you can buy and watch on the computer. These videos are interactive, meaning they will show you how to do something and it makes you repeat what it taught you priory. Everyday software companies come up with better products that make our lives easier, but in turn we don't lean as much as we use to. Take for instance spell check, which is a great feature. Before, people would have to use their brain to make sure hey spelled correctly. Then they invented spell check, a program that goes through all your words and fixes spelling mistakes. Today the software is running while you type, so if you misspell a word it will underline it for you, and if you spell a simple word wrong it will automatically fixes it for you. You don't have to think about it anymore. There is no hassle anymore with installing software. Today once you put the compact disc in, it will install automatically. Some of these software companies also have live updates. For instance if a company has added a new feature or updated any part of the software, the next time you use the software it will automatically update it for you within seconds.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use to a computer. Today kids as early as four years old are learning to use the computer. Today's computers have such easy layouts compared to the first computer thanks to Microsoft and other huge software companies. Today many people run their lives off a computer. Since the Internet came into place, the use of the computer and communications is so large that it is very easy to get lost. Communication is such an important thing in human in human life, we need it, we use it and we want it. When we communicate we are happy and that is exactly what a computer is, a communication device.

"There is no question that the Internet is a tremendous educational resource for both students and teachers. With the Internet you are opening the library of the world"

Today that is what our computers are, and back when the Internet was first tested, all they used were two computers. Today we have the phone, but nothing beats using the computer, communications today through a computer are free; whether you talk or you type.

Computers are all over the place in banks, in malls, in your local variety store and even in your car. Today TV's and microwaves can be turned into computers, just add a phone line and a keyboard; it is simple to get a computer. By either turning your TV into one, buying a microwave that has one or buying a desktop PC, they are all the same. Computers are even in your local schools,

"Technology is a powerful tool, with the ability to transform, says Don Blake, a senior technologist with the National education Association's Teaching and Learning Unit in Washington D.C. It puts things in the first person and allows students and teachers to experience the reality of a subject and what the students are learning."

Today, even affording to buy a computer is easy; you can buy a great computer for a couple of hundred of dollars. One out of every four home in the United States has a computer and one out of every three of those families has more than one computer in the home.

The invention of computers has made a significant impact on the world today due to the size of computers, its ease of learning, the knowledge of computers and the affordability of them. So as you can see, the invention of the computer has come a long way and has brought the human race with it. Therefore, as time goes on computers will be smaller and easier to use.

Work Citied

Perron, Dick. "The First Personal Computer." 22 April 2000. Online Posting: http://www.gw.total-wb.net/~dperr/pc_hdwe.htm. April 2000

Manes, Stephen Manes. "The Best Tech Support? None!" PC World August 1999: 320

Roden, John Paul. "The ABC's of the Internet." The Journal August 1999: 6

Webb Wendy. "Burning down the house." Technology Training April 2000: 70-73