- Flash Memory
- CD-ROM
- Cell Phone
- World Wide Web (WWW)
Flash Memory
Memory for computer was large drums, then core memory and solid state memory. A Japanese Inventor created flash memory to improve EEPROM
Flash Memory holds a lot more than the older types of memory. Intel manufactures the chips in most computers today. Also, the raspberry pi, a small modern computer, runs off of a tiny 16gb flash micro SD card. Ours will play video games as new as the Nintendo DS.
CD-ROM
Cassettes and the VCR were the most common methods of recording and playing music. Phillips and Sony invented the CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory) to make a standard CD instead of a format war. A CD-ROM is a flat plastic disc 💿 and stores 650MB. Companies like Microsoft and Apple started putting their operating systems on discs. Companies like Netflix started renting DVD’s out to people via mail. CDs led to DVDs, which led to companies like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix as we know it.
Cell Phone
The telephone had revolutionized communication, but it was stationary. You couldn’t take it anywhere. It had to be connected to a telephone cable. Bell Labs invented the idea, but Motorola invented it first. Cellphones led to the smartphone. Cellphones are one of the most important inventions of all time. We couldn’t go back now.
World Wide Web
The TCP/IP protocol suite (internet) existed before the WWW. A man named Tim Berners-Lee worked at a company named CERN in the UK. He realized the computer at CERN needed a better way to communicate with each other. He asked the internet people, and the hyperlink people (hyperlinks were to be a big part of the WWW), but both parties said no. So he programed the WWW on his own. That brings us to our bonus question:
Q-How different do you think the world would be today if Lee had of just given up when no one thought his idea was worth pursuing?
A-I don’t know what the world would look like without WWW. All I know is that there would be no web browser, or at least a very limited one. WWW is a crucial part of out modern economy. It has transformed out lives.
P.S. The reason ‘www’ is at the beginning of most sites addresses, is that is stands for world wide web.