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Evolution of software - Suggested answers

1. In a table, list each generation and its main characteristics.
   Construct your table using the format of the article. Make sure you have included the two characteristics of the fourth generation.
   
   
2. In a timeline format illustrate the passage of each generation.
   The timeline should commence with the 1940s and continue into the 2000s. The generations do not have a clear beginning and ending so make sure some overlap is shown in your diagram.
   
   
3. For the early generations it was the software used that defined the generation. What role does software (and the software developer) play in later generations?
   The early generations were defined by the software but later ones are defined more by the hardware and the use the community makes of it. You could argue that the role of software has therefore diminished. You could also argue that we are now even more dependent on particular types of software, for example Internet browsers, and so our reliance on software has dramatically increased. In this situation it is most important that software developers ensure their software is of high quality and reliable.
   Make sure you can give a good reason for your point of view.
   
   
4. Philipson claims we are still in the 5^th generation but moving quickly towards the 6^th generation, as he identifies them. Do you agree with this summation? Can you offer an alternative?
   I can certainly identify with the 5^th generation of Internet usage. The concept of the 6^th generation being the one of embedded technology is also observable — think of what you can do with a mobile phone now.
   
   
5. Our community’s reliance on computer technology is acknowledged in this article. At what point did the community (as compared to an individual user) become important and why?
   I would put this change at the 4^th generation with the emergence of networking. Without this the Internet generation would not have been possible. Do you agree? If not, make sure you have a reason for your point of view.

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