Personal computers and information networks

A man and woman working at a Ferranti Pegasus computer. This computer was a classic 1950s/1960s mainframe installation, taking up the majority of space in a room

IBM Type T04. Man and woman working with an IBM Type T04 electronic data processing machine used for making computations for aeronautical research

During the late 20th century there was a dramatic shift from expensive mainframe computers which occupied whole rooms, to personal machines that are networked together to form a powerful tool for communication. How did this major multinational industry grow from university research and a few kids trying to impress each other with their programming skills? And what did the defence industry have to do with it? This is the extraordinary story of how a bunch of nerds with little business experience made up the rules as they went along, ending up creating the personal computing industry that exists today and transforming our global communications landscape.

IDEAS

Ideas in and of themselves do not get us anywhere. You can have a million ideas and still never accomplish anything. You must develop the habit of taking your ideas and putting them into action. Develop the habit of noting all your ideas, so you don’t forget them. Realize that, if like most entrepreneurs, you have “an idea a minute,” you will not be able to put them all into action. Realize too, that you must learn to filter your ideas, then take the best ones and execute on them.