Name: Ayesha Asif
Class: BS(A&F) – 3A
Enrollment: 01-112192-015
Q: IT has and is still evolving over the passage of time. Briefly explain the ages of evolution
while giving practical examples to explain the transition of one age to another.
 Agricultural Age:
It was the period up to the 1800s, when the majority of workers were farmers whose lives
revolved around agriculture. This age is also known as the ‘Mechanical Age’. During the early
ages of agricultural revolution, the progress in information technology was very slow. It took a
long time for the number system and other languages to develop. The farmers mostly focused on
the crop yield rather than new inventions and research.
However, a number of new technologies were developed in the period 15th to 18th century, due to
an explosion of interest in computation and information. Technologies like the slide ruler (an
analog computer used for multiplying and dividing) were invented in this period. Blaise Pascal
invented the Pascaline, a very popular mechanical computer capable of adding, subtracting,
multiplying, and dividing two numbers. It was invented in 1649 and was initially known as the
arithmetic machine.
Prior to the rise of the Internet, no innovation did more for the spread and
democratization of knowledge than Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press. Develope d
around 1440, it allowed the large scale printing of books which made it easier for all
types of consumers to buy books.
Magnetic compasses were invented in China, by the 14th century which shortly after
widely replaced astronomical means as the primary navigational instrument for
mariners. Moreover, the compass allowed for interaction —both peaceful and
otherwise—between previously isolated world cultures.
 Industrial Age:
Also known as the electromechanical age, it was the period from the 1800s to 1957, when work
processes were simplified through mechanization and automation. In this age, the technologies
had a major role in the success of growing businesses. Several revolutionary technologies were
invented in this period such as the Morse code, telephone, radio, etc.
A more sophisticated and modern version of the Pascaline was invented by Charles Babbage. He
developed the difference engine in the early 1800s, which tabulated polynomial equations using
the method of finite differences.
In 1867, first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. The spread of telegraph lines
throughout 1850 – 1900s provided the ability to send messages rapidly across great
distances that made an indelible impact on government, trade, banking, industry,
warfare and news media, and formed the bedrock of the information age.
The innovation of television in 1927 made it possible to electronically transmit images across
large distances.
Analog computer of the Agricultural Age was replaced when Iowa State mathematician and
physicist John Atanasoff designed the first electronic digital computer in 1937. Furthermore, the
first large-scale automatic digital computer in the United States, known as the Harvard Mark 1
created by IBM in 1944. In 1945, another remarkable development of this age was the ENIAC
(Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). It was the first electronic general-purpose
computer which could solve a large class of numerical problems through reprogramming.
All of these technologies were crucial stepping stones towards modern information technology
systems.

Information Age:
The period that began in 1957, in which the majority of workers are involved in the creation,
distribution, and application of information. It is also known as the ‘Digital Revolution’. Today’s
era is the information age where knowledge workers strive to compete.
More advanced versions of computer were invented such as the first personal computer known as
the Altair, which was soon supplanted in 1977 by the Apple II, the TRS-80, and the Commodore
PET.
In 1969, the most exceptional invention was that of the Internet. The Internet, synonymous with
modern IT, was conceived of as a fail-proof network that could connect computers together and
be resistant to any single point of failure. By 1993, the first web browser that could display
images was invented known as the Mosaic. For the time, it was very fast, and it quickly became
popular.
The earliest consumer global positioning systems (GPS) devices hit the market as the 1990s
began. Since then, the development of the internet and mobile broadband has made it easier than
ever to navigate new places.
The arrival of Mobile broadband (1991) brought the massive scope of the internet to the portable
package of a cell phone. It provided the convenience of having access to vital information like
maps and emails to the consumers.
Later with the start of the 21st century, the inventions became highly frequent and technology
developed at a fast pace. Some of the major inventions were Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Facebook and other social media platforms, Bitcoin, drones, 4G network and many others.