Week Two Lecture

This week's lecture contained a brief look at the history of the Internet, and Computers.

The birth of the first computer to their first commercial production in the 1950s was covered, with the efforts of Charles Babbage and Alan Turing being identified and acknowledged.

The lecturer gave personal insights into his own computer purchases over the years, dating back to the 1980s in Sydney. One of his earliest machines was stolen from his house near Bondi, allegedly by a junkie.

The emergence of major corporations involved in the development of computers was covered next; Apple, Xerox, PARC and Microsoft to name a few. Steve Jobs of Apple owned 50% of the market and an approximate wealth of $100 000 000 at age 25, but Microsoft's Bill Gates was another tyrant on the rise.

The Internet, Cyberspace and Web had their origins covered - initially a method to transfer messages from one system to another electronically, escaping the physical realm. This in turn developed over the years to become the infinite source of information the modern day Internet is.

New features include instant messaging, file sharing and skype video calls.

This lecture proved interesting, the competitiveness of the computer industry, especially during the initial stages, was a point covered which was particularly new to me. The interactive and charisatic lecturer provides a presentation which is easy enough to follow and maintains the attention of the group.