Developments in Computer Industry in last few decades

Although the Computer, an automatic electronic digital computer was invented in 1940s, the real revolution in this industry was witnessed in last few decades only.

Earlier computers used to be very large machines occupying a whole room known as Mainframe computers. Then came Minicomputers which were smaller and less expensive, but they were also used in large organisations and offices only for various computational requirements like in Defence, Government departments for census, statistical data analysis, land records, house allotment, weather data analysis, in Industry for financial accounting, payroll management, inventory management etc.

Then in 1980s came the Microcomputer or the Desktop PC (Personal Computer) which was a game changer. It was a stand alone machine based on a single microchip, that could fit on your desk and was way more powerful than its seniors. The IBM PC with Intel microchip running DOS operating system started getting installed on each desk in every office.

While these were the results of the developments in computer Hardware industry, the Software engineers were moving swiftly from Binary machine language of 0s and 1s to Assembly language to High level languages like COBOL, FORTRAN, C, C+, C++ etc. But the Software Industries' biggest triumph came with the development of Graphical User Interface (GUI). Along with the Mouse, it became very easy for general people to use the Computer.

Although Mac OS on Apple Machintosh were the first to launch the GUI but Microsoft Windows won the race in market reach. Later in 1990s an IBM PC with Intel microprocessor running Microsoft Windows operating system became a norm on each desk in an office and in every elite household.

On the other hand Apple Machintosh with Mac OS were more popular with the designers who were working with Graphics packages like the Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop etc.

As more and more PCs started getting installed on every desk in the office, the need arose to collaborate between them. So the wired Network (LAN) was created to send messages and files from one desktop to another. This was good within an office premise but large organisations have offices at different locations, to connect them wireless Networks like (WAN) came into existence.

In 1983 a new communications protocol was developed called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) which allowed different kinds of computers on different networks to communicate with each other. All networks could now be connected by a universal language, this was the birth of the "Internet", the next revolutionary development in the history of mankind. The World Wide Web browser and HTTP server came in 1991. Within the next three years, by 1994 there were more than 3000 websites created. The number kept on increasing exponentially over the coming years.

On the other hand launch of the first free web-based Email service, Hotmail.com in 1996 revolutionized the world of communication. Earlier people used to write Letters to their relatives and friends and the Post office used to take many days to deliver at the desired address. Now with email it was instant. All official as well as personal communication shifted to the Email.

The Desktops were great but they were binding us to the desk. Laptop freed us from the tangles of wires and gave us the freedom to work from anywhere.

Another interesting development was going on in Telecommunication industry where Cellular network or mobile network 1G was being developed in 1980s. In 1991, the second-generation 2G digital cellular technology was launched on the GSM standard. The Mobile phones based on GSM protocol started replacing old wired Landline telephones, again giving us freedom to move around anywhere and still remain connected.

In addition to telephony, digital mobile phones supported a variety of other services, such as text messaging, multimedia messaging, email, Internet access, digital photography, music etc. Mobile phones offering more advanced computing capabilities are referred to as Smartphones.

The GSM 2G evolved into 3G, 4G and 5G now, enabling mobile web access, IP telephony, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing and more. The 5G networks are faster, have higher bandwidth, much higher download speeds up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s) and can connect more different devices, improving the quality of Internet services in crowded areas.

Modern desktop computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, smartphones, pocket calculators, video game consoles, industrial embedded systems are all examples of microcomputers.

In Software Industry, in 1990s Customized Software Packages were developed for various functions like financial accounting, inventory control, Payroll management etc. by different software companies for different organisations as per their requirements. Over the years these software packages started taking the form of specialised Software Products that could be bought and implemented.

In 1980s the Software Packages that were being used by the general users were like WordStar, Lotus 1-2-3, dBase etc. By 1990s Microsoft 's bundled MS Office which contained a word processor (Word), a spreadsheet program (Excel) and a presentation program (PowerPoint), an email client (Outlook), a database management system (Access) and a desktop publishing app (Publisher) became very popular.

In late 1990s Multimedia software packages stormed the market, like Adobe Illustrator for vector drawings, Adobe Photoshop for image editing, SoundEdit a digitized audio editer, Adobe Premiere for Video editing. Similarly Autodesk's AutoCAD a commercial computer aided design (CAD) and drafting software application became very popular among engineers and designers.

As the Software Industry progressed more n more specialised Software Products were launched for every Sector by different software companies be it for Banking(SAP for Banking, TCS BaNCS, Oracle FLEXCUBE, Core Banking, CGI Open Finance, Validis, Symphony, Mambu etc.), Financial Accounting(Tally ERP, BUSY, Quickbooks, FreshBooks, Synder, Xero, Sage, Wave Accounting etc.), Human Resource Management (Gusto, Rippling, Payroll, Deel, BrightHR, Workable etc.), Manufacturing (Oracle NetSuite, SAP Business ByDesign, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central etc.), Warehouse & Inventory Management (Fishbowl, Zoho Inventory, and SkuVault etc.), Customer Relation Management CRM (ClickUp, HubSpot, Zendesk, Freshworks etc.), Enterprise Resource Planning ERP (SAP Business One, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage 300, Odoo, Infor etc.) and so on. Today there is no industry which is untouched by the use of computers, be it Healthcare, Agriculture, Education, Aviation, Shipping, ... just think of any sector you will find new and improved digital machines with embedded softwares.

On the other hand Internet was developing into "Global Memory". Today the number of websites on internet has crossed the billion mark. Whole of human knowledge shifted from the print and other media to the Internet in the form of various websites like Wikipedia. The Internet has become the Cyber space Mirror of the Real world. Every Company, Organisation or famous personalities have their representation on internet in the form of their own website.

In 1995 when the number of Websites were just 3 to 4 thousand, Yahoo tried to group them in various categories in the form of hierarchical human edited web directory called Yahoo! Directory.

Then in 1998 came the Google Search as the number of Websites had already reached millions. There was no looking back then. Google became the largest company on internet or a synonym to Internet. Later products launched by Google like Google Maps and Google Earth brought each location on earth to the internet. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has revolutionized our travelling.

But it was not easy for general people to design and update their individual websites. In 2004, Facebook gave that opportunity to general people to make and maintain their Pages and connect with friends, make groups and so on which gave rise to Social media. Now each individual had representation on internet. Later online platforms like Twitter, Instagram and WhatApp enhanced human communication across the globe.

As the bandwidth increased, sharing videos on internet became possible. Year 2005 saw the launch of Youtube which was a video sharing platform which gave an opportunity to educators, entertainers, news and media people and everyone to share content in the form of video which again became very popular.

In Telecom industry what started with a simple voice call and messaging has gone over to VideoCall popularized by Skype, Zoom, Facetime etc. A Mobile phone has replaced Landline phone, Camera, Music system, Wrist watch, Calendar, Notebook, Phone book, Diary, Books, Albums and what not. Number of Mobile Apps have crossed 8 million.

Next came Banking websites, Net banking, Payment gateways which facilitated us to transfer funds electronically, do banking through internet and E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba etc. that enabled us to buy or sell products and services through internet.

Although no new technology is immune to risks and dangers. So we have seen the emergence of hackers and cyber crime, computer virus and then anti-virus softwares, and cyber policing.

Going ahead the Software Industry is now witnessing new concepts like Cloud computing, Software as a service (SaaS), Platform as a service(PaaS), Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Artificial intelligence (AI), IoT (Internet of Things), Cryptocurrency and so on. Future Hardware and embedded software developments include Robotics, Drones, 3D Printing and more.

So, what started as the invention of Computer as I said "Extension of human Brain" has led to the development of the whole Hardware Industry, Software Industry, Telecom Industry and the Internet Industry not only generating employment for millions of people all over the world but amazingly changing and affecting the way we live, learn, do business, entertain ourselves, communicate, commute and so on.

This is a conceptual representation, the companies or products mentioned are not comprehensive.

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