Liya GetachewNovember 20, 2006Public Policy 190History of Computing UC BerkeleyThe History of Modern ComputingAnd How it has contributed to the Political ProcessesThe topic I would like to explore in this paper is the role of computers in politics especially when it comes to the electoral processes. Has computer enhanced the electoral process or has it hampered it in anyway? I am especially interested in the development of internet and what that has meant to the electoral processes. As we all know the creation of internet has made the access of information incredibly easy. In addition computers are now playing an even greater role in the actual voting process as they’re used to cast ballots. As a result the question has become does computer play a positive or negative role in as suppose to does it play any role at all? This paper will explore the evolution of computers in regards to such developments and what it has all meant to democracy in the United States. The idea of digital democracy will also be discussed. Brief Overview of history of ComputerPin pointing the beginning of computers can be quite difficult especially because the meaning itself has change many times over the years. The term computers came about as a result of the early stages of its development. Initially computer describeda person that did mathematical calculation (Lecture). As a result the beginning of computing can be argued to go as far back as pre history; however this paper will focus on the evolution of computers in modern times including the creation of the personal computer. The 1940’s especially was characterized by rapid growth of such technological 1Liya GetachewNovember 20, 2006Public Policy 190History of Computing UC Berkeleydevelopments. Among the many achievements of this period one is the Atanasoff-Berry Computers. Developed in 1941 this machine used vacuum tube based computation binarynumbers and regenerative capacitor memory. Sorothy aftern the development of the Atanasoff-Beryy Computer the Z3 was produced in 1941 and it was the first working machine that had binary arithmetic and measures of programmability (Wilhelm ). Both ofthese computers were considered even today very important developments in the history of computing. However, by far the most important development that occurred during this period is the ENIAC. In 1946, the US Army’s ballistics Research Laboratory, the ENIAC became the first general purpose electronic computer. The ENIAC, also known as the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was the first large-scale, electronic, digitalcomputer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems, although earlier computers had been built with some of these properties (Lecture). ENIAC was designed and built to calculate artillery firing tables for the U.S. Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory ( Lecture). Among the factors that have contributed to the rather rapid evolution of computers are the various wars the United States has been involved in and also the various cultural and political events. For instance the ENIAC came about as a result of WWII. The Personal Computer For our purposes the development of personal computer is especially very essential and the ENIAC laid the ground work for the eventual development of the personal computer. The development of the personal computer facilitated not only the 2Liya GetachewNovember 20, 2006Public Policy 190History of Computing UC Berkeleycreation of the internet but also the availability of it. The personal computer first emergedin the 1960’s in Bay Area, California. Similar to previous eras the development of the personal computer also resulted from the direct involvement of the United States in a war.During the 1940’s, the ENIAC was created as a result of WWII which forced developed nations to invest in technology that will enhance their military capabilities. This brought an incredible amount of money into the research and development of various technologies during that period. The 1960’s were no different, in that the war in Vietnam influenced the development of technology. What was different about this era however, is the fact that the influence came in the form of the many countercultural movements that were occurring. The idea of social movements affecting technological developments is well argued by John Markoff. In his book, What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer, he discusses the people around the development of the personal computer and how they were influenced by their environment. One great example of how countercultural movements influenced the people behind personal computer and thus its development is the experience of Fred Moore. According to Markoff, Fred Moore was the co-founder of Homebrew Computer Club in 1970. Moore was interested in developing personal computers in order to organize his work as a draft resister. He needed the development of such a system in order to further his cause and not so much for glory or fame. The creation of the Internet and its contribution to political processes 3Liya GetachewNovember 20, 2006Public Policy 190History of Computing UC BerkeleyVarious facts led to the creation of the internet besides the development of the personal computer. In fact the need for such a system became apparent early on. In 1957 the USSR launches the Sputnik the first satellite and the US followed by creating the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) (Lecture). This was the beginning of the Cold War years where both the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in arms race that also included technological race. It was in the understanding of many politiciansthat the future of war fare would be highly technological. As a response to the Soviet Spuntnki, the U.S began investing heavily on technology that would put it at an advantage. The U.S. Air Force especially needed a system that would allow it to keep control over its missals in case of a nuclear war. The RAND Corporation came up with anidea that was both revolutionary and reliable. The Brand Corporation understood the fact that no network that had a central authority could function at a time of war, as a result they created a network that had no central agency and that operated while in tatters (Lecture). RAND, IMB and UCLA experimented with this “decentralized, blast proof, packet-switching network (Sterling) .UCLA installed the first node in 1969, and
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