Stark 1

Britton Stark
Mr. Conrad
ERWC Period 2
1 May 2016
The Infiltration of Personal Computers into Everyday Life
What is possible with the power of a computer? Can you research your past? Can you
learn to cook? Even twenty-five years ago the answer to those questions would have been no.
Since the production of the first personal computer and its immediate success in the world
market, individuals and companies have been working hard to integrate the personal computer
into more and more aspects of the human world. The great strides that have been made in science
are largely due to the use of computers and the skills that have been taught using them. The
world has become largely dependent upon the use of computers, with special emphasis on the
personal computer. This new dependence has been taught to the new generation as the
technology has been unfolded in front of them. Throughout the course of this research project,
the questions of the beginning of personal computers, what it takes to create new technologies,
what humanity has been able to accomplish, and what is expected to be created soon will all be
answered. The development of computers has changed the world and continues to form the basis
for more and more ways of learning and making the world a better, more-convenient place to
live.
The beginning of the personal computer is the beginning of a profound new age for the
modern world. In the 1970s the computer was the newest technology of the era, however the
early commercial models were large, expensive, and available primarily only to governments,
educational institutions, and large corporations (Personal Computers). Once the appropriate

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technologies had been developed, the personal computer was born. This allowed small
businesses and even individuals to own a computer and use all of the new tools that it provided.
By the early twenty-first century, the technology had become so developed that the market was
now controlled by smaller, more portable versions of the original computers but now with even
more power and capable of much more than they ever were. These new laptops, tablets, and
smartphones allowed the power that was once locked away in the largest of institutions to be set
free to the masses of the planet. It was once believed that the introduction of the personal
computer would be nothing more than a small following ("Early Computers Bring About an
Information Revolution, 1945-1979."), that there would not be a great demand for a complicated
product with such industrial applications. It was so successful that [b]y the late 1990s personal
computers had grown from a niche market consisting largely of hobbyists to a major worldwide
industry, and 35 percent of U.S. households owned computers (Personal Computers). This
rapid expansion led to the increased interest in the professions that related to the growing
industry of personal computers. By 1995 more than 200 million personal computers had been
sold to people around the world. The more people that entered the field, the faster the technology
was developed, and the
faster it was developed, the
faster the world could grow.
This endless cycle of
improvement has helped to
create the world that people
live in today.

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It took many different independent innovations to eventually lead to the creation of the
first personal computer. The different technologies all had to be combined in order to create the
new tool that is the personal computer. The inventions and discoveries such as [t]he decimal
system, a binary mathematical system, and Boolean algebra are required to make computers
work ("The History, Development, and Importance of Personal Computers."). All of these
systems were discovered independently of each other and had no intention of becoming part of
the personal computer, but they eventually did. These systems are used for many things other
than their use in computers, they are also used in many other scientific fields. Even with these
systems in place, the computer had not been created because all of the elements had to be
realized and fashioned into a single idea. This realization came swift in 1888 when Herman
Hollerith (1860-1929), an American inventor, devised a calculating machine to tabulate the U.S.
Census for 1890 which would be known as the oldest working computer ("The History,
Development, and Importance of Personal Computers."). The company that owned this idea
would later become the multinational that is IBM ,International Business Machines Corporation,
that controlled the office equipment industry and still holds much of the industry today. The first
industrial computers had components such as vacuum tubes to regulate electricity and large air
conditioning units to keep them cool. Before the creation of the personal computer, these
technologies would need to be replaced by something that was more portable and cheaper to
build. These technologies would eventually take form through the hard work of many individuals
who have made the modern developments possible. One of these inventions is that of the
transistor, [c]reated by three scientists at Bell Labs, for which they received Nobel prizes, the
transistor is a device that does the job of a vacuum tube at a fraction of its size ("The History,
Development, and Importance of Personal Computers."). This development made a huge jump in

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the right direction for the future of personal computing. This technology allowed for all kinds of
complicated electronics to become smaller as their components also became smaller. These new
inventions are what make the technology of personal computers possible, but it takes more than
one new device or system to create the technologies of tomorrow. Another development is that of
the computer chip, a tiny piece of silicon, a non-metallic element, with complex electronic
circuits built into it. This technology allowed for the closer, more compact use of transistors to
create the needed framework that makes up computers. Another necessity for computing is the
programming that is required for these computers to perform their functions. The level of
programming has changed dramatically in the last forty years. This is partly due to the
technology required to program has been changed just as much. The early days of programming
took long periods of time and had very simple operations in mind. Today the limit cannot be set
for what is possible with programming.
The personal computer has taken the world in a direction that cannot be undone. The
world has become completely dependent upon the use of computers in business and protection.
The computer is needed to such a degree that [t]he computer is used in government, law
enforcement, banking, business, education, and commerce. It has become essential in fields of
scientific, political, and social research as well as aspects of medicine and law ("The History,
Development, and Importance of
Personal Computers.") and most

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people have become completely dependent upon the manipulation and storage of data
("Education and Technology."). The fact that the computer has become such an integral part of
the human experience should be seen as what it is, a marvel of human engineering. The
technology has allowed for some of the greatest breakthroughs in human history. Not only has
computing allowed for the better understanding of the world around us, it has also allowed us to
better the lives of some many people. Computers have allowed for the spread of information, the
investigation of global issues, and the spread of culture and ideas. The human experience has
many more facets once the abilities of computing power are taken into consideration.

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The rate at which technology has been advancing has taken the world of possibilities to
new heights as people have gone from minor calculations on a computer, to literally creating new
worlds at the tips of the peoples fingers. The development of the personal computer has allowed
for the technology to progress faster than other devices because of the widespread nature of the
personal computer. In the early days of computers, the applications were very limited. People
could perform minor calculations, create documents, and even create minor models
("Computer"). The computer allowed people to achieve what could be done without a computer,
but with increased accuracy and in a professional way. At the time, these tasks and capabilities
were considered beyond extraordinary. Today these would be considered only minor applications
of the personal computer
because of how common
these actions take place.
The abilities of computers
have expanded so far
beyond the mere power of
words and documents and
into the world of
visualization and creation
itself (Overland). With the development of technologies such a three dimensional printers,
computers can be used to create what could once only be dreamed of. People can use their
computers to create what was only able to be achieved through teams of engineers or artists on
their own terms.

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The development and advancement of the personal computer has changed the world in
such drastic ways that it has become completely integrated into human society. The abilities of
the individual have been extended to new heights with the invention of personal computing. The
rate at which these technologies are progressing has made it possible for a single generation to be
separated by the next. The next step of development is for all people of the world, no matter
where, to have access and control of even a simple personal computer. The technology has
become so common that people in many countries have multiple devices that they do not even
use. This fact means that there could potentially be a personal computer in the house, or even the
hand of every living adult on the planet in the next generation. The technology of personal
computers has grown at a rate that could not have been predicted, and it only continues to
progress. The potential for computers has the same limit as the human imagination and drive of
those who are creating these new technologies.
Works Cited
"Computer." Math & Mathematicians: The History of Math Discoveries Around the
World. Ed. Leonard C. Bruno. Detroit: UXL, 2008. Student Resources in Context. Web.
19 Apr. 2016.
"Early Computers Bring About an Information Revolution, 1945-1979." Historic U.S.
Events. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Education and Technology." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2016.
Student Resources in Context. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Overland, Brian. "Computers and Computer Industry." Dictionary of American History.
Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 333-338.
Student Resources in Context. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

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"Personal Computers." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Riggs.
2nd ed. Vol. 2. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2015. 996-997. Student Resources in Context.
Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
"The History, Development, and Importance of Personal Computers." Science and Its
Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Student Resources
in Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.