History of IT

• Information Technology refers to the applications in generating, manipulating, storing, regaining, transmitting, handling, exchanging, studying and securing all data or information in an electronic format.
• Information Technology is also used as an umbrella term to cover television, telecommunication equipment, software, e-commerce and the internet.
• Information technology is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data and information.
• Information technology is typically used within the context of business operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies.
• Information Technology forms part of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
• Information technology is the application of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise.
• Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating and communicating information since the Sumerians developed writing in about 3000 BC.
• The term information technology in its modern sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review.
• Authors Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L. Whisler (Harvard Business Review) commented that "the new technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it information technology (IT).
• Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L. Whisler's definition consists of three categories: techniques for processing, the application of statistical and mathematical methods to decision-making, and the simulation of higher-order thinking through computer programs.
• Based on the storage and processing technologies employed, it is possible to distinguish among four distinct phases of IT development:

  the pre-mechanical era (3000 BC – 1450 AD)

  the mechanical phase (1450–1840)

  the electromechanical phase (1840–1940) and

  the electronic age (1940–present)
• In the 1820s, English mechanical engineer Charles Babbage invented the Difference Engine to aid in navigational calculations. 
• Charles Babbage is known as the father of the computer.
• Charles Babbage released plans for his Analytical Engine in the 1830s.
• The Difference Engine was regarded as the first mechanical computer device. 
• Information Communications Technology is more inclined to the education setting.
• ICT is described as using computers and other digital technologies to aid individuals or institutions in handling or using information.
• IT is associated with the field of computers, software, networks and data processing.
• Information Technology is used in the corporate setup.
• Information Technology is used in huge, multinational companies, networking companies and other computer organizations.
• Information technology helps to build and grow the commerce and business sector and generate the maximum possible output. The time taken by different sectors to generate business is now minimized with advancements in Information technology. It provides electronic security, storage, and efficient communication.
• Technology provides students with easy-to-access information, accelerated learning, and fun opportunities to practice what they learn. It enables students to explore new subjects and deepen their understanding of difficult concepts, particularly in STEM.
• advantages of IT in businesses:

  • Increased Data Security
  • Save Money
  • Benefits Communication
  • Improved Productivity
  • A Wider Talent Net
  • Achieving Coordination and Uniformity
• different stages of IT development:

  •Pre Mechanical Age

  •Mechanical Age

  •Electromechanical Age

  •Electronic Age
• The Pre Mechanical Age: earliest age of technology (3000 B.C. to 1450 A.D.). 
• During the Pre Mechanical Age, uman beings primarily communicated with each other using simple picture drawings called petroglyphs.
• Petroglyphs were created on rock. This form of language was used to tell a story, to keep record of how many animals one owned and to mark their territory.
• The use of petroglyphs eventually led to the arrival of the first writing system known as ¨cuniform¨.
• Cuneiform: Instead of using pictures to express words, signs were composed to correspond with spoken sounds.
• The Pre Mechanical Age:

  the Phoenician alphabet was created which consisted of a more simplified writing technique using symbols to express single syllables and consonants.
• The Pre Mechanical Age:

  Later on, vowels were added and names were given to the letters to create the alphabet that we use today.
• The Mechanical Age:

  many extraordinary inventions took place during this era. (1450 to 1840)
• The Mechanical Age: This is where we can see similarities between our modern-day technologies and the rising technologies back then.
• The Mechanical Age: the printing press was invented during this age
• printing press: a movable, metal-type printing machine that made the process of composing pages take only a few, short minutes, making written technology easily accessible to the public.
• The invention of the printing press led to other useful techniques such as the development of book indexes and the use of page numbers. These methods of organizing information paved the way of the development of files and databases. 
• The slide rule (1600s)- an analog computer that allowed users to multiply and divide.
• The Pascaline (around 1642) – a mechanical computer that allowed users to add, subtract, multiply and divide two numbers
• The Leibniz’s machine (1670s) – a machine that was an improvement of the Pascaline that included additional components that made it easier for users to multiply and divide
• The difference engine (1820s) – a machine creation that could calculate numbers and print the results