How Computers Have Affected Society

How would society run without computers? Keeping in mind that most every electronic device uses a computer one way or another, the world would be set much further back. The advancement of microprocessing and OS’s allowed a general increase in jobs and speed in development of ideas and designs. Computers have advanced the way people build and design things, store information, and communicate with each other. Microprocessors have shaped how computing developed through the years. The microprocessor originated back in 1971 with the Intel 4004. It was a 4 bit BCD (Binary-Coded Decimal) oriented microprocessor. It helped advance the computer industry in ways such as giving other manufacturers a baseline to work off of and some competition in the field of microprocessors. The 4004 really was the start of microprocessing in the computer industry. This card only ran at 740 kHz which really shows the advancements that have been made up until today’s processors with 4 GHz and higher clock speeds. Communication has changed vastly over the course of approx. 50 years of computer development. The phone was the origin of the technology used for communication over the internet. Phone lines were used for dialup connections which allowed users to communicate over the phone lines. This presented a problem though; When a person in the house would use the phone, the internet would not function properly, rendering dialup inefficient. The most recent form of connection is Ethernet. Ethernet allows Gigabit speeds and uninterrupted connection. This technology has allowed global near-instant sharing of data and information. The world trade system is reliant on the internet and therefore has been a huge focus by manufacturers worldwide. The ability to store information anywhere you want and it at any time and place is priceless. That is what is called the “cloud”. Servers around the globe host services that allow users and companies to store information and retrieve it at any time. This technology was recently made available to almost all platforms but the concept has been around for a while. The capability to store files for retrieval anywhere has accelerated how data is managed. The consumer didn’t actually have much to work with that was computer-related up until 1983 with the Apple Lisa. This computer was the first computer to have a GUI and, despite being aimed toward business customers, was a huge step in the direction of the computer monitor in use today. The amount of pixels in monitors since the Apple Lisa has greatly increased allowing much higher resolutions to be displayed since its creation.
The baseline for Microsoft operating systems today originated in 1981 with MS-DOS. It is a text based command prompt primarily used by IT and manufacturers to manage and change different configurations and setups in the computer. The creation of this operating system allowed computers based on microprocessor the time to advance along with the operating system technologies. The improvement of this technology came along with Windows 1.0, released in 1985. This OS provided the beginning of Microsoft’s Windows line that has finally lit up to Windows 8 ironically having near identical icon to Windows 1.0 and 2.0. Online stores have become a very popular way of purchasing items and getting them shipped to our home within a few days. These stores are made possible by servers hosting the site and the complex network of routers and switches that lead from a home router all the way to a server. This immediately posed the issue of security. How can one be sure that their credit card information will be secure on the Internet? A new Internet protocol was created called Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure which basically layered HTTP on top of SSL/TLS protocol. Most websites that allow purchasing of goods show HTTPS usage in the URL bar. Searching for jobs has become much easier through companies hosting websites and allowing users to apply for jobs remotely. This has greatly sped up the employment process and is also allowed for the company to communicate and/or provide feedback on the application to the applicant much faster and easier. Organization of documents as much cleaner with the automation of the application process which has allowed employers to narrow down applicants to what they are really looking for before they even step in the office. Unfortunately, this has dehumanized applying for a job and made it harder for people to interact with others upon meeting. The ability for defense networks and companies to use satellites for communication and GPS position tracking has greatly increased the speed at which they can gather information and apply it to their job. Satellites have also been a huge help to the commencement of the Internet by allowing international communication and trade. The computer has greatly impacted society in more ways than one; advancing communication over large networks, proving how we store data, and organizing and accelerating processes that were normally done on paper. The world will be forever reliant on computers to operate and communicate as well as run most things that work off of electricity.

Works Cited
Ceruzzi, Paul E. Computing: A Concise History. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2012. Print.
"The History of Computers - Computer History Timeline." The History of Computers - Computer History Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2013. "Intel 4004." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 May 2013. Web. 09 June 2013. "Microprocessor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 June 2013. Web. 09 June 2013.

* Evolution of Computers
Microprocessors
First Microprocessors
Advancements
Changes in Computers
Storage
Floppy
HDD
Flash/SSD
Software
OS’s
Command Line
Microsoft Windows
Programs
Development of General Life
Speed of Communication
Change of Planning
Job Creation
Job Development

Cited: Ceruzzi, Paul E. Computing: A Concise History. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2012. Print.