The Most Exciting Thirty Years Of Technology : Evolution Of The Personal Computing Industry

While pondering over the debate on 100$ computer - views against by Intel and a set of counter arguments, courtesy of James Seng, came across this excellent article on the recapping the thirty year of personal computers. The story of the personal computer is a fascinating tale, it is ever exciting to read. As Jeremy points out, When you step back and look at the big picture, the overall dominance of the PC becomes clear. In fact it wasn't until 1986 that the PC platform first surpassed 50% market share and that was more than a decade after the first personal computer was sold. Bill Gates then recalled that many mainframe computers had spawned work-alike clones in the past. It was this foresight that enabled him to get IBM to agree to a contract whereby Microsoft could license MS-DOS to third parties. IBM, thinking in mainframe timelines and assuming that clones would be perpetually years behind the originals, thought nothing of this stipulation. They were only concerned with getting the lowest possible flat rate for MS-DOS (which they mistakenly called PC-DOS) in the first place. A combination of extreme foresight and even better luck enabled Microsoft's rise to dominance along with the PC platform. A handful of geeks and enthusiasts turned that dream into reality, and today personal computers are everywhere. Over 173 million computers were sold in 2004, and the figures are expected to continue to rise, as falling prices enable people all over the world to enjoy the benefits of personal computing. A well researched and compiled article - must read for all those tracking, using and working on emerging technologies. Don't miss the lovely chart om market shares of various vendors - in fact it is a good indicator of how the technology itself has evolved and likely to shape up in future.