Milestones of Information Technology—A Survey

Abstract

In the following we give a survey on important epochs in the development of the electrical means for transmission and processing of information between humans and machines. The goal is to contribute to a kind of holistic knowledge of the function of the different complex systems and devices of modern information technology. We are convinced that a historical projection on the different stages of development can be of great help. However, by the limited space of this paper we can do this only by a sketch. The list of relevant literature which we give at the end may help to get the desirable deeper knowledge.