Although everything was analogue, a quiet revolution had been going on and digital technology was actually racing ahead. Ordinary people hadn’t noticed anything, but the politicians and decision makers were aware that computers were growing in importance - and they had been for a long time.
Indeed, it was way back in 1963 that Prime Minister Harold Wilson gave a speech which has become famous as a landmark. In it he spoke of the “White Heat of Technological Change”.
Harold Wilson’s “White Heat” Speech
Harold Wilson’s speech is remembered as a landmark occasion. If you look at the timeine in the sidebar (right) you’ll see how computers began and how they developed. You can see where they stood in 1963 and how right he was to draw attention to their continuing development.
During the following decades, technological progress continued. The 1970s were the era of magnetic tape storage and computers like this were often seen in science fiction films:-
Magnetic tape was used for memory.
But miniaturaisation was happening and by 1970s chip-based memory had allowed small machines like the Commodore PET (right) to appear and a few pioneering teachers began to experiment with them in their classrooms.
The turning point came in 1980. This was the year IBM produced its first computer small enough to fit on a desk. They called it the “Personal Computer” (or PC for short) and it marked a distinct change in awareness.
Computers began to be seen in offices and factories, and even in high street shops, where small computers designed for home use were to be seen.