Moschella ICT inflection points - 1984, 1994

There are three major big bangs in the history of the IT industry. In 1964 IBM introduced its mainframe computers and set the standaIn my work I've identified three major big bangs in the history of the IT industry. The first goes all the way back to 1964 when IBM introduced its mainframe computers and set that standard that really dominated global computing for the next 20, 30 years in large corporations. A huge event. The second event also involved IBM, and that was its, essentially, agreement to use Intell and Microsoft products as part of its personal computers. That first of all introduced the personal computer era, but secondly created these new companies that really ran with that technology and essentially left IBM in its wake and created a new era of computing. The third major era was clearly the emergence of the internet from what was once a government activity, into a public infrastructure. An immense network owned by nobody. This was something that no-one ever foresaw, that the vast communications network we would all use would not effectively be controlled by telecommunications companies or in fact anybody. This openness of the third wave, the third big bang, I think is still with us today and really defines the way technology is used. The openness and the standards of the internet represents another new era.rd for global computing. The second major event was when IBM agreed to use Intel and Microsoft products on its personal computers. That was the introduction of the personal computer era. The emergence of the internet is the third big bang that couldn’t be foreseen but is still defining the way technology is used.