Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 1 Introduction to Information Technology 5 Digital Revolution The fi eld of information technology (IT) includes all the work done with computers, from the design and installation of hardware and software to the maintenance of these systems. The state of the art of computing today is changing with new and innovative additions, such as shown in Figure 1-1. These changes are part of the digital revolution. The digital revolution is the ever- expanding progression of technical, economic, and cultural changes brought about by computers. It has gone through four phases: • giant computers • personal computers • networked computers • cloud computing A computer is a device that handles input, processes data, stores data, and produces usable output according to sets of stored instructions. Giant Computers The fi rst phase of the digital revolution occurred from the 1940s through the 1960s and is characterized by the use of giant computing machines. These machines were physically so large that they had to be located in special facilities, as shown in Figure 1-2. The computers required highly skilled technicians to run even simple reports. Programs had to be small and extremely effi cient. Personal Computers The second phase of the digital revolution began with the advent of personal computers (PCs) in the 1970s and lasted through the early 1990s. PCs were small and inexpensive enough to be used in households and businesses. They were complete computers that could run programs all by themselves. The fi rst PCs were only capable of displaying one color on the monitor screen against a black background. Networked Computers The popularity of personal computers only gradually increased until the mid-1990s. It was at this time when software became what most of the population could consider user-friendly. Also at this time, computer networks became interconnected through a large system of network FYI Data processing was the term used from the 1940s to the 1970s to describe the computer operations. Today, this is known as information management. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 1-1. An innovative method for data input to a computer uses sensors on the fingers to determine input. US Army Photo Figure 1-2. Programmers Elizabeth (Betty) Jean Jennings and Frances (Fran) Bilas preparing for the public unveiling of ENIAC. ENIAC was the first elec- tronic digital computer.