The mainframe was the big thing in all respects in IT hardware
when Computer Weekly was first published 40 years ago, and although
it is having a renaissance today, our readers’ choice of the most
important hardware over the decades since highlights how far our
industry has come.
Inevitably, the microprocessor topped the Computer Weekly IT
Greats poll, and when coupled with the Windows-based desktop PC, it
has done the most to change working practices of businesses across
the world, according to readers.
For business, the result has been that the individual
productivity of employees has been multiplied, with the processor
automating everyday business tasks such as word processing and
accounting.
The processor and PC combination also revolutionised
communications between staff, business partners and customers,
helping firms to respond quickly to changes, globally and around
the clock.
As well as increasing the speed of business-to-business
communication, broadband has been vital in enabling the potential
of the internet to be realised. Faster data transfer speeds have
been the bedrock of new businesses and services aimed at mass
markets.
The mobile phone has also been a central component in the
communications revolution – indeed, it is hard to imagine life
without one – and this is reflected in the technology taking fourth
position in our poll. Today we have access to data anytime,
anywhere and from any place. Whether that proves a blessing or a
curse is a debate that could continue for another 40 years.
Hardware top 10
1. Microprocessor
2. Desktop PC
3. Broadband
4. Mobile phone
5. Router
6. Server
7. Barcode
8. CD drive
9. Laser printer
10. Fax
1. Microprocessor: the heart of IT-enabled business
transformation
You voted the microprocessor the most important piece of
hardware to revolutionise businesses over the past 40 years.
The evolution of microprocessors has followed Moore’s Law, which
denotes steadily increasing performance over the years. This law,
developed by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, suggests that the
number of transistors per square inch on a microprocessor chip
would double approximately every 18 months. This has appeared to be
the case since the early 1970s.
Before this time, computers used to fill large rooms and be
vastly expensive to manage and operate. A few pioneering companies,
including Intel, National Semiconductor and Motorola, saw the
benefit of putting all the building blocks on a single chip,
radically altering the development of computer systems.
The Intel chip, which has become the most widely used desktop PC
processor, started as a four-bit version, the 4004, and was
released in 1971. It was followed by an eight-bit version, the
8008, in 1972. Soon, chips grew in processing power and efficiency,
with 16-bit designs being introduced in 1978, and the now
ubiquitous 32-bit processors arriving in 1981.
In the mid-1980s Risc (reduced instruction set computer) chips
appeared, and were a popular choice for Unix-based
workstations.
More recently, 64-bit processors have appeared, targeted at
business PC and server markets.
Processors have also grown in complexity, with the advent of
more innovative and advanced technologies such as multiple cores
(processing units), and chip-based security and virtualisation.
For businesses, using more powerful processors has meant that
the individual productivity of employees has been given a boost,
with the processor automating everyday business tasks such as word
processing and financial calculations.
In the datacentre, organisations have been able to consolidate
smaller machines onto increasingly powerful datacentre servers,
with individual machines having the power to run multiple business
applications at the same time.
2. Personal computer: the business revolution on the
desktop
Desktop PCs have become more and more powerful from their
inception in the late 1970s.
The term personal computer was popularised by Apple Computer
with the Apple II in the late 1970s, and by IBM introducing its
first PC in 1981, so creating the industry standard for PCs.
As the desktop PC matured, business users were able to automate
more of their business processes and access vital business and
customer information over a network.
As processors grew more powerful, the IBM-compatible computer,
running the Microsoft Windows operating system, became the
ubiquitous business must-have. The PC, processor and operating
system combination eventually revolutionised office working.
Organisations were attracted by the time and cost savings that
business desktops could bring them, and the way they could automate
working practices and put information at their employees’
fingertips.
As local and wide area networks evolved, PCs became vital
communication tools for businesses, facilitating e-mail
communications between employees.
PCs have also provided quick and efficient communications with
business partners and customers, helping businesses to become more
agile when responding to changing business needs.
Easy access to the web from the desktop has opened up a massive
online marketplace, and created huge costs savings and efficiency
gains.
3. Broadband: the great enabler of remote
working
Broadband communications have completely transformed businesses,
particularly for remote workers who link into the corporate network
from home.
Speedy links to the web, business applications and e-mail mean
that these workers can be more productive with their time, and use
collaborative technologies such as whiteboards and
videoconferencing to enable them to work effectively with
office-based colleagues.
However, it could be argued that the widespread use of broadband
has facilitated the rise of viruses, Trojans, spam and phishing
attacks on home workers, and has fuelled the race to secure
computers against an increasingly sophisticated enemy.
For business users, eliminating dial-up access has reduced
support issues for IT departments and anxieties for many remote
users. After some teething problems with self-install ADSL cable
modems and filters, most users are now able to set themselves up
on broadband.
Many broadband lines now support data rates of 512 kilobits per
second, and some urban sites even reach 8 megabits per second.
These high speeds allow broadband users to access high quality
video and audio streams, perform videoconferencing, and make voice
calls over the internet.
Some user companies also support wireless broadband networking,
specifying the equipment that home workers must use and setting
appropriate security policies for its usage.
The broadband market is set to make £40bn in worldwide total
revenues this year, according to industry analysts. But they
predict the market will top £77bn in revenues by 2010, attracting
new service providers from different industries seeking a piece of
the broadband market pie.
Today’s major telecommunications providers, such as BT and Cable
& Wireless, are likely to face sharp competition from internet
companies such as Yahoo, MSN, Google and Apple acting as content
aggregators and service providers, say analysts.
4. Mobile phone
The mobile phone has become such a core component of
communications that it is hard to imagine life without it.
Innovations in mobile technology have enabled users to access data
from anywhere at anytime.
Most business users have memories of the brick, a large mobile
phone first taken up by City traders. Since then, the mobile has
undergone much miniaturisation and customisation to become the
ubiquitous business tool and fashion accessory we know – but don’t
always love – today.
Mobile networks, which link handsets to base stations, were
first introduced in the early to mid-1980s. Prior to this, most
mobile phones were installed in cars.
Faster and smaller processors have been a key innovation and
have enabled handset suppliers to build more powerful devices that
can effectively act as mobile offices.
This has produced an enormous increase in productivity for
business users who can use mobile phones for text messaging,
e-mail, packet switching for access to the internet, and MMS for
sending and receiving photos and video. And all of this in addition
to voice services.
The future of mobile phones is likely to include deeper
integration with fixed-line networks, which should reduce
communications costs for businesses. Mobiles are also likely to
give users more access to business applications, acting as a web
interface onto back-end systems.
5. Router
The ability to move data seamlessly and instantly between one
network and another has transformed business and allowed the
internet to grow into the global network it is today.
6. Server
The arrival of servers opened the door to business computing for
organisations that could not afford a mainframe, and gave business
units a much needed degree of independence from the barriers
imposed by old fashioned data processing departments.
7. Barcode
The most basic use of binary code, the barcode has
revolutionised retailing, warehousing and supply chain systems
since the 1970s, and is still holding more modern technologies such
as RFID tagging at bay.
8. CD Drive
The CD drive has changed working practices fundamentally. Before
the spread of the CD-Rom, IT staff had to spend hours feeding a
machine with punched cards or floppy discs to install a programme.
Mass local storage also became possible with the advent of
read-write CD-RW drives.
9. Laser Printer
In spite of the early promise of the paperless office, we are
still addicted to paper. Laser printers have offered organisations
a convenient, quiet and fast way to print crisp copies of computer
documents.
10. Fax
Why is a machine first patented in 1843 among the top 10
technologies of the past 40 years? Simply that after more than 100
years of false starts, the fax finally took off in the 1980s – and
not just for ordering pizza.
But what about the USB coffee warmer? ask
readers
According to Computer Weekly readers, the proliferation of
devices powered by USB (Universal Serial Bus) connections should be
highlighted.
Downtime’s quest to find the most pointless USB-powered device
has already uncovered hand warmers, aquariums, humidifiers, and
even a hamster in a wheel that are all USB driven.
Vying for top spot with Computer Weekly readers are USB-powered
vacuum cleaners and cooling fans, but by common consent, the most
useless hardware product of the past 40 years was the USB-powered
coffee cup warmer.
Your big names
Outside the main choices for greatest hardware, the most popular
readers’ suggestions were:
1. Apple Computer
2. Mainframe
3. Mouse
4. iPod
5. Ethernet
6. Hard disc drive
7. Disc storage
8. Liquid crystal display
9. Transistor
People who voted for the hard drive and disc storage stressed
the importance of easily accessible data storage – highlighting the
importance of the technology in business IT.
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