Human speech was the first carrier of knowledge about actions that people performed together. Knowledge gradually accumulated and was orally transmitted from generation to generation. The process of oral storytelling received its first technological support with the creation of writing on different media. At first, stone, bone, clay, papyrus, silk were used for writing, then paper. The emergence of book printing accelerated the rate of accumulation and dissemination of knowledge and stimulated the development of sciences.
The first stage of IT development was “manual” information technology (until the second half of the 19th century). Tools: pen, inkwell, ledger. The form of transmission of information – mail. But already in the seventeenth century, tools began to be developed, which later allowed the creation of mechanized and then automated IT.
During this period the English scientist Ch. Babbage theoretically investigated the process of computing and grounded the basics of computing machine architecture (1830); mathematician A. Lovelace worked out the first programme for Babbage machine (1843).
The second stage of IT development is “mechanical” information technology (since the end of the 19th century). Instruments: typewriter, telephone, phonograph. Information is transmitted by means of improved postal communication, the search for convenient means of presenting and transmitting information is in progress. At the end of XIX century the effect of electricity was discovered, which contributed to the invention of telegraph, telephone, radio, allowing the rapid transfer and accumulation of information in any volume. The means of information communication appeared, so that information could be transmitted over long distances.
In this period English mathematician George Bull published his book “Laws of Thinking” which was a tool for development and analysis of complex schemes consisting of many thousands of them in a modern computer (1854); the first telephone communication via telegraph wires (1876); production of computer perforating machines and punched cards (1896).
The third stage of IT development began in the late 1940s with the creation of the first computers.
During this period, the development of automated information technologies began; magnetic and optical data carriers, silicon were used; “electric” information technology was applied (40-60s of the XX century). Until the end of the 1950s, electronic tubes (first generation) were the main structural element in computers; the development of ideology and programming technology was due to the achievements of American scientists.
Toolkit: large computers and corresponding software, electric typewriter, portable tape recorder, copying machines.
During this period: Z3 – a programmable electromechanical computer with all the properties of a modern computer, created by the German engineer K. Zuse in 1941; Mark I – the first American programmable computer (1944) was introduced to the scientific community; the first electronic machine – “ENIAC” (calculator) was created in the USA (1946). in the USSR under the leadership of S.A. Lebedev was created MESM – small electronic counting machine (1951); in the Soviet Union began serial production of machines, the first of which were “BESM-1” and “Strela” (1953); IBM presented the first disk drive on hard disks (“hard drive”) RAMAC with 5 Mbyte volume (1956).
The fourth stage of IT development is “electronic” information technology (since the early 1970s). Its tools are large computers and ACS created on their basis, equipped with extensive software. The aim is to form the content part of information.
The invention of microprocessor technology and the appearance of the personal computer (1970s) made it possible to finally switch from mechanical and electric means of information conversion to electronic ones, which led to miniaturization of all devices and devices. Microprocessors and integrated circuits are used to create computers, computer networks and data transmission systems.
In 1970-1980s minicomputers were created and distributed, the interactive mode of interaction of several users is carried out.
The fifth stage of IT development is computer (“new”) information technology (since the mid-80s). The toolkit is a personal computer (PC) with a large number of software products for various purposes. A decision support system is being developed, artificial intelligence is being implemented on the PC, telecommunication communication is being used. Microprocessors are used. The goal is to maintain and make available to the general consumer miniaturized technical means of household, cultural and other purposes.
The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a qualitative leap in the technology of software development: the center of gravity of technological solutions is transferred to the creation of means of interaction between users and computers when creating a software product. An important place in IT is occupied by knowledge representation and processing. Knowledge bases and expert systems are created. Personal computers are widespread.
IT development in the 1990-2000’s: Intel introduces a new processor – the 32-bit 80486SX, which has the speed of 27 million operations per second (1990); Apple creates the first monochrome hand-held scanner (1991); NEC releases the first CD-ROM drive with double speed (1992); M. Andriessen presents its new web-browser, named Mosaic Netscape (1994); by 1995, 85% of personal computers use the software produced by Microsoft. Windows OS is improving year by year, already having the means to access the global network of the Internet;
At the present stage, tooling environments and visual programming systems for creating programs in high-level languages: TurboPascal, Delphi, Visual Bask, C++Builder, etc. are being developed. That is why mass distributed data processing is used. The Internet offers unique opportunities, potentially allowing the creation of the largest parallel computer to efficiently use the available network potential. It can also be seen as a metacomputer – the largest parallel computer consisting of many computers.