What is the direction of computer development and directions of communications development?
We’ve come a long way baby! At the beginning of the 19th century, most people thought they would live in the same way their parents did, there was no social mobility, only survival. Today, nobody is surprised by the prediction that the Information Age will probably transform their lives, in their life time, beyond recognition. Let’s consider the trends development of computers and communications and, most excitingly, the area where they intersect.
If you’ve ever been a follower of Moores law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law), for the last 40 years, there has only been one certainty in the development of computers, that is, the number of transistors that can be inexpensively fitted onto a silicon of wafer will double every two years.
Since the days of ENIAC in the 1940′s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC), computers have developed in one main direction and are continuing to do so, the key word has been minaturization. Everything has become smaller, ENIACs old fashioned radio-style vacuum tubes gave way after 1947 to the smaller more reliable transistor. A transistor is a small device used as a gatway to transfer electrical signals along predetermined paths (circuits).
The next Step was the development of tiny integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are entire collections of electrical circuits or pathways that are now etched on tiny squares (chips) of silicon half the size of your thumbnail. Silicon is a natural element found in sand. In pure form, it is the base material for computer processing devices.
The miniaturized processor, or microprocessor, in a personal desktop computer today can perform calculations that once required a computer filling an entire room. Popular comparisons with modern computers pit their power against those that sent the Apollo rockets to the moon over 40 years ago.
With Moores law expected to continue well into 2015 (and no doubt beyond), who knows exactly what the I.T. platforms of 2020 will be like but you can be sure of one thing, they will be faster, cheaper and make todays Intel I7 look like the cutting edge P60 of the early 90′s!