Decades Presentation 1960’sBY: AMY, JUSTIN, JAKE

Space Wars -1962

It was the first computer game invented. The game required a team of men from MIT and 200

working hours to complete. This is significant because programmers would continue to

create games and improve its quality throughout this decade and decades in the future.

The user played this game with a joystick. The point was to stay away from the sun in the center and

to avoid enemy ships.

B.A.S.I.C. (1963) B.A.S.I.C. stands for Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic

Instruction Code. It was invented in 1963 by mathematicians, George Kemeny

and Tom Kurtz, at Dartmouth College. It was meant to be a tool to teach undergraduate students. Its purpose was to be a generalized computer language that

would allow people to unlock the power of the computer for business and other types of academics.

B.A.S.I.C. was the most widely known computer language Paul Allen and Bill Gates wrote a version of B.A.S.I.C. for the

Altair personal computer. Bill Gates also wrote versions of B.A.S.I.C. for the Apple

computer.

Compact Disc -(1965) Also known as the CD Compact Disc was invented by James T. Russell Invented and Patented in 1965 but not

released to the public until 1981. A Compact Disc is a plastic disc that can store

music and digital information. Was initially “read-only”

Significance: allowed consumers to share music and digital information among each other. (kinda like the old fashion spotify)

How it works: information on the CD is can be read using a reflected laser light.

Mouse (1968) This was invented by Douglas

Engelbart It allowed people to easily interact

with a computer screen. Was more convenient than other

previous methods, like one that required the user to move the cursor with their knee.

Obviously this was a very important invention as people have continued to use and innovate the mouse to this day.

Arpanet (First form of Internet) (1969) Arpanet was originally created for military use. Arpanet protected the flow of information between military

installations by creating a network of geographically separated computers that could exchange information through a newly developed protocol called N.P.C. (Network Control Protocol).

N.P.C. is basically a set of rules for how the computers interact amongst each other.

Arpanet lead the way for future advances and creation of the internet.

UNIX (1969) UNIX is a multi-user multiprocessing operating system. It was developed beginning in

1969 at Bell Labs. It was created by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and others. The system itself is a multiuser and multi processing system, enabling it to perform

multi-threaded applications, support multiple applications at one time, and support a large number of users at the same time

Network oriented operating system as mentioned before. UNIX ideas were used to make future operating systems, But were called UNIX-

liked: doesn’t use UNIX code but has some of the same ideas. (Example: Linux) Significance: set a foundation for multiuser/processing systems for future operating

systems.

Douglas Engelbart Most famous for the invention of the computer mouse But he was an American engineer and inventor and also

contributed to the development of hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to graphical user interfaces..

Hypertext is so significant because it is basically the hyperlink, and the foundation of the World Wide Web is a vast network of hyperlinks.

He also created the chorded keyboard which required the user to press multiple buttons at once, on a small device, and make many different combinations to input commands on a computer or smaller device.

Pictures of Engelbart’s Inventions

Chorded Keyboard

Prototype of his mouse

John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz• They created BASIC, One of the first programming languages ever to be

created. It was first used as a programming language on console computers.• They wanted to enable students in fields other than science and

mathematics to use computers. At the time, nearly all use of computers required writing custom software, which was something only scientists and mathematicians tended to learn.

• Kemeny also invented Dartmouth Time Sharing System .• They were important because they provided students with less of a

mathematical background to use the computer for educational purposes. • The software was originally free to make it become worldwide and later

was distributed to nearby high schools.