Information Technology Has Come A Very Long Way

Where does the history of IT begin? Well, in order to answer this question, one must first understand the basic concept of information technology as a whole.

In its most basic form, information technology aims to help communication between computers. This form of technology can be completed via input, processing, output, and various other communication types. Essentially, the history of IT can be split into four periods: premechanical, mechanical, electromechanical, and electronic. Before we delve into each category, remember that the key word here is "communication."

Prior to any form of mechanics, the very first humans sought to communicate through very simplistic sketches that we now call "petroglyths." For the most part, these drawings were in the form of pictures, and often they depicted daily life. Around the year 3100 B.C. the Sumerians came up with the cuneiform language, and this became the very first type of written language. After the Sumerians, along came the Egyptians with their papyrus plants, and they took communication to a whole new level when they began to use a form of the modern pen with papyrus as a type of paper.

Now, let's skip ahead to the Mechanical Age (1450-1840). Johann Gutenberg invented the first sort of movable metal-type in 1450. After this machine was invented, books began to pop up and the concept of a computer was born. Once this was conceived, there was no stopping civilization and around the end of the 18th century, telecommunication really began to grow stronger. Beginning with the Voltaic Battery and ending with the telephone and the radio, communication was really on a role. Once the computer was invented (many years later), the history of IT took an entirely different sort of path.

Today, almost everyone has some sort of involvement with a computer, though those people that work in the information technology field can often work many different jobs. Humans have always found a way to effectively communicate (as we have seen), which makes this type of technology one of the oldest trades on the face of the earth.

From the time of the cavemen drawing crude pictures on the sides of walls, to our modern computer obsessed world, the history of IT has come a long way. Even though some believe that the Internet has really outdone all other forms of communication that the world has ever seen, just remember that the Internet was a mere though once upon a time.

Aazdak Alisimo writes IT articles for ITServiceCompanies.com - a directory of IT service companies across the country.