Copy and Compete

The last half of the book Computers:The Life Story of a Technology by Eric Swedin and David Ferro is by miles more interesting than the first and although it took a while for me to warm up to the book, Computers has made the history of computers much more interesting. Reason being that it is refreshing and entertaining to read about innovators who are still alive and companies that I am familiar with. When evaluating the time line of the microcomputer, it is surprising to find that within 37 years, the microcomputer has evolved from a machine with no peripherals to what it is today. Swedin and Ferro continue their attempt to meticulously list every important innovation in the field of computers so the information given on this evolution and everything around it is plenty.

Through the reading, it can be concluded that competition has kept the ball of progress in computers rolling.Patenting ideas proved to be an important factor of beating competition. For example, Edward Roberts, the founder of MITS, did not patent the idea of the microcomputer or "the bus" which is the "mechanism through which the computer communicated with its components"(89) and because of this, various companies and hobbyists copied these ideas.Therefore, competition for the advancement of the personal computer launched in 1976 with the microcomputers of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems(MITS) and IMSAI. Later, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs' company Apple Computer became head competitors with IBM. IBM allowed Microsoft to "sell it's operating system to other hardware manufacturers"(101) and had an open architecture for it's personal computer so competitors were able to copy IBM PC's hardware. Apple on the other hand had "a tight legal hold of their Macintosh ROM BIOS chips"(101) so copying of their microcomputer was harder to do. Software companies also ran into copying problems with "open source software" which published the source codes for software; this  fired competition between software companies and forced them to continually create and improve their products. Other competitions in respected fields of computer technology are presented in the book but this brief overview is enough to conclude that the impact of competition has been beneficial to the advancement of computers.

I, like Swedin and Ferro, am excited to see what else the minds of innovators has in store for us in the future. The stories of Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak prove that the ability of a person to create and produce new technological advancements can start at an early age.Because of this, I believe that the potential for innovation by children today is greater than any generation before them. In the year 2000, studies showed that "51 percent of U.S. families owned a computer and 41 percent of U.S. homes had Internet access"(132); these numbers have only been increasing and with that the access to technology. Although the excessive usage of computers by children today is often viewed as a frightening addictive habit, it is encouraging to know that some children are feeding their strive for technological innovation.