SOCI 235 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Lotus 1-2-3, Visicalc, Wordstar
10 Dec 2014
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Document Summary
1990s to today: why did established firms miss the waves? (bresnahan, p. 107). The evolution of the pc was matched by an evolution of the purposes to which the equipment was put. In early versions users were mainly hobbyists and game players. Use spread among office workers when good spreadsheets and word processors became available. Then use broadened as the web and ways to use it became available. Progress was made that increased the ease of use of the equipment. The gui was an important step in this direction: these factors meant that the market for hardware and software grew rapidly. Consequently, innovators didn"t always have to go head to head with firms already established in the industry. Visicalc and wordstar increased demand for the pc among office workers. The development of these programs illustrates the gpu character of the technology. This increase in demand provided ibm with an opportunity.
