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Atlas Computer
Invented by Tom Kilburn
Atlas was the first computer to use the concept of a Virtual memory, witch allowed switching between multiple programs without losing data. The way this was accomplished was by using a disk or drum as an extension of the main memory. Without this concept we wouldn't be able to switch between apps so easily -
Computer Mouse
Invention by Douglas Engelbart. Computers were mainly used with keyboards to input data. The first mouse was just made from a wooden shell, circuit board and two metal wheels. This made it so the mouse could not move freely in any direction at anytime but eventually a more familiar version of the mouse would be released 8 years later that had a ball that allowed the pointed to move more freely. -
Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code BASIC
Before BASIC the way a computer would be used the "program" would be punched in on card and handed to a computer operator, the operator would take the card and feed it into a machine. The problem was this could take days for the computer to process since computers were limited and only people who new what they were doing were allowed to use them.BASIC was made to make it easier to use computers. Designed by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz and released at Dartmouth College in 1964 -
Compact Disc (CD)
Invented by James Russel who had the idea to store information digitally on photosensitive film using a laser to record and to play back also know as Optical Digital Recording (ODR). CDs did not make a huge hit until 1982 when Sony and Philips made them available to the public. Compact Disks have become less common for daily storage but still are used for most gaming consoles today. -
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET)
The Idea of the internet was already a decade old by the time ARPANET was first used and credit is given to Leonard Kleinrock for the idea but it was more of a collective effort to get it working. Originally funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, ARPANET used packet switching to allow multiple computers to communicate on a single network. The World Wide Web however was not available to the public until 1991
