Computing

Computing

Introduction

Computers can be classified into five generations and these are based on when major technological advances in computers occurred. For example, the use of vacuum tubes, transistors, and the microprocessor all signaled major developments and improvements in computer technology.

Due to the sustained development and improvement of the computer, it is easy to fathom how they have become intertwined with our lives. As a result of the various improvements to the development of the computer we have seen the computer being used in all areas of life. It is a very useful tool that will continue to experience new development as time passes.

First Generation (1940-1956)

The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes as a major piece of technology. Vacuum tubes were widely used in computers from 1940 through 1956. Vacuum tubes were larger components and resulted in first generation computers being quite large, taking up a lot of space in a room. Some of the first-generation computers took up an entire room.

Second Generation (1956 - 1963)

The second generation of computers saw the use of transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Transistors were widely used in computers from 1956 to 1963. Transistors were smaller than vacuum tubes and allowed computers to be smaller in size, faster in speed, and cheaper to build.

Third Generation (1964-1971)

The third generation of computers introduced the use of IC (integrated circuits) in computers. Using IC's in computers helped reduce the size of computers even more compared to second-generation computers. They were also faster. Nearly all computers since the mid to late 1960s have utilized IC's. While the third generation is considered by many people to have spanned from 1964 to 1971, IC's are still used in computers today. Over 45 years later, today's computers have deep roots going back to the third generation.

Fourth Generation (1972-2010)

The fourth generation of computers took advantage of the invention of the microprocessor, more commonly known as a CPU. Microprocessors, along with integrated circuits, made it possible for computers to be smaller, to fit easily on smaller working areas, and for the introduction of the laptop. Today's computers still use microprocessors, despite the fourth generation being considered to have ended in 2010.

Fifth Generation (2010-present)

The fifth generation of computers has been marked by the increasing potential of AI (artificial intelligence), which is still being developed. One of the more well-known examples of AI in computers is IBM's Watson, which has been featured on the TV show Jeopardy as a contestant.

Communications Theory in Computing

These rapid and sustained developments are proof that society has a vested interest in the advancement of computer technology. The microprocessor, for example, increased the accessibility of computers, thereby improving their usability. This meant that computer users now had greater control over the systems they interacted with, when they interacted with computers, and more choices of features. This greatly multiplied the number of gratifications that computers could satisfy. The argument could be made that uses and gratifications are the driving force behind the approach to usher in each new computer generation.

As a form of communications media, computer users actively seek out computers to satisfy individual needs. Some of these needs may have positive or negative impacts on users and on society. Here are a few ways in which computers have benefited us.

Work: Computers perform millions of tasks and activities to improve productivity.

Communication: A major driving force behind computer use is its ability to enhance interpersonal communication across several media forums.

Education: The use of computers has increased the accessibility, influence, reach and penetration of education and knowledge to students across geographical, social, economic, gender, and age differences.

Entertainment: Computers enable us to watch movies, listen to music, and play games from the comfort of our homes or private spaces if needed.

These examples hardly represent all the ways that computers benefit us, but they indicate some powerful motivators behind the continued development and use of computers to solve various aspects of our lives.

Uses and gratifications can also be factors behind the negative aspects of computer use. We can consider the obvious negative (or health) disadvantages to using computers. Spending too much time at a computer can have negative health impacts on individuals. Developing anti-social habits, eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and limitations to learning are all ways that our reliance on computers can hurt us. These negatives are based on the frequency of computer use and are not necessarily problems that we deliberately seek out. But what happens when we deliberately set out to push the limits and demand more? What happens when the current iteration of the computer isn’t fast enough? Or when the graphics don’t look real enough? Or you’ve mastered the game several times over and need a new challenge?

Computers in Popular Culture

Entertainment is watching, listening to, or reading material that makes you happy or talk while keeping your attention. Considering the diversity of our society, it is easy to understand why we tend to seek out entertain that reinforces or cultural activities. Entertainment is a significant part of our cultural experience, and it, too, is very much impacted by the computer development.

Whether music, film, video or print media, computers have been an integral part of popular culture. Computers have been used to create the materials that we use for entertainment, and in many cases have taken on human characteristics as antagonists or protagonists. In Kasparov vs Deep Blue I cheered for the computer. (I always cheer for the bad guy). Some other famous computers include Kitt (Knight Rider), WOPR (WarGames), V.I.K.I. (I, Robot), S.E.T.H. (Universal Soldier), and JARVIS (Iron Man).

WarGames


WarGames is a 1983 Cold War science fiction film about a High school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) who unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War, Lightman leads the supercomputer to activate the nation's nuclear arsenal in response to his simulated threat as the Soviet Union. Once the clueless hacker comes to his senses, Lightman, with help from his girlfriend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy), must find a way to alert the authorities to stop the onset of World War III.

The movie wasn’t the first or only movie to be centered around the effects of computers on society. Wargames embodied aspects of all five generations of computing. This is even more remarkable considering 1983 (the year it was released) was right in the middle of what is generally considered the fourth generation. We have a young man who, seemingly unmotivated by the routineness of high school, is driven to find more arresting forms of entertainment through video games. He is seeking his own answers in order to satisfy gratifications needs. As previously noted, the drive to satisfy this need can have both positive and negative consequences. It can lead to innovation, development, and new insights. But accessibility to new technology also opens the possibilities that individuals will use the technology for evil purposes.

For moviegoers, the movie reinforced images, ideas, aspirations, and fears that are prevalent in our society.

From the DOS interface to the clunky monitor to heavy keyboards, all the reminders of “old” technology are intertwined with “new” issues of cyber security, national military defense, and artificial intelligence.

After WarGames

Though fictional WarGames created quite a stir. The movie placed the issues of cyber security and national security in enough of a vulnerable state as to have officials as high up as the president of the United States to stand up and take notice. The scenario presented in the movie did seem plausible. Were we still too enamored with the potential of the technology to focus enough on the dangers that might be lurking in the background? Now that decision makers at the highest levels had been engaged, security concerns would clearly be a priority.

The movie also whet the appetite of those seeking entertainment the mirrored societies aspirations, fears, and need to buck the establishment. Hacker culture has since them become legitimized and glorified. We have become used to movies about terrorist (hackers) breaking into secure computer systems to steal codes or information, and holding the valuables for ransom or threatening a global catastrophe. All these scenarios are a twist on WarGames and ultimately shows the immense power held by the hacker.

Conclusion

For those who watched, WarGames tapped into something that we all identified with. It was by no means the only or best movie in its genre to do so. However, it perfectly linked computer generations and subsequent concerns into one coherent story. When we look at the implications of introducing new technologies, we see that human beings can drive the direction of these developments based on their individual motivations. Based on our history we can expect that computers will be further developed to surpass anything we’ve created thus far.