The Innovators: A Standard History of the Digital Revolution - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Innovators is a book by Walter Isaacson which was published in October 2014. Isaacson reveals the story of a group of people who formed the computer and the internet. The book presents a standard history of the digital revolution and the indispensable guideline of how innovation came into being. It highlights the talents of The Innovators and entrepreneurs and the circumstances that caused them to divert their attention to visionary ideas and realities. The book also highlights the creative process and the factors that caused some innovators and entrepreneurs to be successful than others. In the story, Isaacson starts by describing the Ada Lovelace who was Lord Bryon`s daughter and how she began computer programming in the early-1840s (Isaacson,2014).

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The author then explores various personalities that were developed in the modern digital revolution including the stories of Vannevar Bush, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Page, and Robert Noyce. The Innovators shows how the human mind works and the factors that made the computer innovators so inventive. It also points out the significance of collaboration and teamwork in enhancing creativity by bringing out the full potential of different stakeholders in the computer and internet sector (Isaacson,2014). The essay will discuss the significant technical and evolutionary business milestones that are presented in the book. The paper will also offer a personal opinion about the intent and educational value of the book.

Technical and Business Milestones in the Innovators

The Innovators book provides an essential account of how the history of digital revolution and the combined efforts of several creative minds over the years that enabled people to go from big and chunky machines to small and fast devices which will allow people in the contemporary world to be globally connected. Isaacson reviews the history of the digital revolution by taking the readers back to the beginning of invention and creativity (Isaacson,2014). The author shows that great innovations are not as a result of the efforts of a single person. Instead, they are based on collaboration between different people who embrace the elements of integration and continuous improvements. As such, the digital revolution has been a product of a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in the course of developing and refining the significant innovations.

The main points that are captured in the book include the fact that the first computer programmer was a woman who had a proper understanding of mathematics and poetry (Isaacson,2014). The book also shows that hippies and hackers were the individuals who made the computer personal. Also, it shows that the internet was a product of combined efforts by institutions of higher learning, the military, and other private organizations.

The countless number of developers, software experts and equipment, programming, networking and security pros expected to fill accessible positions will keep on developing over the years. Notwithstanding computer experts, knowledgeable workforce is required in all fields. Regardless of whether one is looking for work as a teacher, bookkeeper, author, architect, legal advisor or a number of different employments, one inquiry is habitually asked as to what they think about Computer and information systems. Collaborating with a PC is a day to day activity for many offices and on the field personnel.

Regardless of the career decision, more than likely one will be a dependant and reliant on computers for their activities. The Management Information System (MIS) knowledge plans for the learners for passage level work in a business-related area. Students will almost certainly design business programs and plans, compose software in the current programming language, structure, execute and use databases and as such improve the majority of the specialized needs of these zones.

Computers are deeply rooted in complex mathematics, which is not familiar to many people. In the early 1840s, Ada Lovelace studied mathematics and art. She gained a burning desire to help other people in learning the two disciplines. She also had a passion for learning many more things, and this compelled her to attend English polymath salons about science and technology (Isaacson,2014). These learning programs were offered by Charles Babbage who had developed a mechanical machine that would calculate polynomial functions. The device would use a different engine to facilitate these functions.

Isaacson describes Lovelace as a human genius since she used her poetry and mathematical skills to make a better version of the difference engine which was transformed into an analytical engine. The machine would process several problems and switch to produce solutions for the challenges. This innovation turned out to be the first computer program to be made. Isaacson describes Lovelace as a programmer who was a hundred years ahead of her time (Isaacson,2014). She described the machines (computers) as versatile and general-purpose machines.

The second technical milestone that is obtained in the book is that hippies and hackers were responsible for making personal computers. During the early days of software innovation, there was a very still competition between Apple and Microsoft. However, both of them borrowed the first idea from a company which was known as Xerox (Isaacson,2014). This shows that the first operating systems in the world were as a result of combined efforts. This was the same thing for the development of hardware systems.

The invention of personal computers is traced from the Homebrew Computer Club which had hippies who would dismantle devices to understand them. This was in the 1960s, and they later became hackers in the 1970s. They conducted the hacking activities in an effort of rebuilding the devices. The members of the club would meet bi-weekly (Isaacson,2014). This is where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak gained insights about the Altair 880, which was the first computer of the hobbyists. The two advanced their skills and started the manufacture of personal computers.

The third technical milestone is that the internet was formed through the combined efforts of universities, the military, and other private companies. Isaacson points out that the main contributor to this outcome was Vannevar Bush. The vital parties behind the invention of the internet were brought together by the dean of MIT`s school of engineering, who was a top military science provider. The National Science Foundation was also a critical contributor since it united various experts from diverse industries. The foundation also made a plea to the government for it to allow multiple companies to enable them to conduct basic research.

J. Licklider provided several insights about making decentralized networks and real-time human-to-computer communications. On the other hand, Bob Taylor and Larry Roberts collaborated to form a research network for various universities (Isaacson,2014). The ideas were combined in military and academic system which opened many other facilities. This caused the development of an internet protocol. Therefore, the internet foundation is a combined effort of several individuals who shared their knowledge to make a conclusive framework ultimately.

The computer invention started in 1937 with the ideas of Alan Turing, who developed the concept of the logical computing machine. The machine was eventually refined to be entirely moving without having any mechanical moving parts. He also made it programmable and with general purpose functions. In the mid-1930s, there were several attempts by various individuals to build machines that would compute figures at a very high speed (Isaacson,2014). This was mainly contributed by the second world war which pushed ideas and the necessity to evaluate the trajectories of weapons and to break various encryption codes that had been made by the Germans. John Mauchly and Presper Eckert drew on the ideas of the previous inventors and made a plan for the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) machine. It was completed in 1943, and it was unique in that it operated a hundred times faster than other devices (Isaacson,2014). Isaacson notes that Mauchly and Eckert grew to be the digital-age leaders of the 20th century. They drove other people with a passion for precision.

The main argument in The Innovators book is that innovation in computer technology is a product of many individuals who work together. The modern-day giants in technology are rooted in more than one individual. For example, Google was formed by Larry Page and Sergei Brin. Apple was created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (Isaacson,2014). On the other hand, Microsoft was formed by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The book shows the importance of collaboration. Apart from computers, the internet and programming languages, the book also talks about other groups of innovators who came up with video games, microchips, transistors, online connectivity, personal computers, and software. It presents a clear picture about the positive impact of various collaborators who were behind the concepts of computer technology.

The Innovators shows a broad overview of how one innovation succeeds in another, and it credits many people who are not recognized in the contemporary world. Isaacson particularly emphasizes on the effort of women in creating programming and making first-punch computers (Isaacson,2014). Tim Berners is highly credited for inventing the internet. Innovation starts on a personal level, but it eventually transforms into a collaborative environment. In the book, Isaacson shows that he would not focus on the lone geniuses of computer technology. Instead, he reflects on the organizational procedures which led to innovation. The book indicates the grips in which various innovative teams and groups formed and exchanged ideas, and how innovativeness flowed from the knowledge, skills, and styles of working that came with significant transformation and advancements in the business and technical fields (Isaacson,2014). Isaacson talks about the "idea factory" which had the Bells factory that had many scientists and engineers before and after the second world war.

The scientists and engineers represented an extensive range of disciplines and expertise since they had the opportunity, many resources and ways of exploring and improvising their ideas. John Bardeen and Walter Brattain helped William Shockley since they formed a team meeting which created a lot of cohesion in the group in the process of making their innovations (Isaacson,2014). The author describes this as the "quintessential display of finish-each-other-sentence-creativity." He further notes that this was one of the most successful groups in the computer and technology world of the 20th century.

The integration of their skills, expertise, and knowledge contributed to the formation of the transistor which was a crucial building block of microprocessors. This was an essential innovation of the 20th century since it enabled the growth and advancement of other technologies (Isaacson,2014). Transistors also shaped the perception of various entities and innovators because the need for alliances and working partnerships emphasized the attainment of common goals and objectives.

The culmination of various people also influenced the creation of Intel and well. Intel is a large company which has made a significant contribution in the development of microprocessor sector and the Xerox PARC, which is a fertile source of electronic innovation that started from the 1970s to the current world. Intel facilitated the invention of the ethernet, the mouse and the graphical user interface (Isaacson,2014). Steve Jobs is one of the most successful innovators si...