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Evolution of software
This article presents a view of the evolution of computing that is similar to those presented in most textbooks. However it ties the later generations to recent changes in the way the community uses technology. It claims the role of software in the evolution process has changed.
Syllabus outcomes
H2.2 A student explains the relationship between emerging technologies and software development.
H3.1 A student identifies and evaluates legal, social and ethical issues in a number of contexts.
This section revises the preliminary work in this topic and provides a stimulus to explore and discuss the rights and responsibilities of software developers and the community’s reliance on software as part of significant social and ethical issues (SDD syllabus, p. 32).
Read through the article by Graeme Philipson. As you do so identify the generations of computing identified and the main characteristic of each. Click here to go to the article.
Activity
- In a table, list each generation and its main characteristics.
- In a timeline format illustrate the passage of each generation.
- 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?
- Philipson claims we are still in the 5th generation but moving quickly towards the 6th generation, as he identifies them. Do you agree with this summation? Can you offer an alternative?
- 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?
Bibliography
Philipson, G. (2000). Theory of Modern Evolution. Sydney Morning Herald, 11th April 2000.
This work was prepared by Coral Shand
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