[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
Before the PC, computers were ridiculously expensive, took up entire rooms, required an HVAC system just to keep them from overheating, and for all intents and purposes, unavailable to the general public.
After the PC, computers were small, reasonably affordable, and spread like wildfire. Since the advent of the PC, computer technology has grown exponentially due in part because computers are everywhere. Everybody has access to computers. Before the PC, virtually nobody had access to computers.
Also, it was not mere “improvement” that made this possible. It was the invention of the microprocessor. Which was not a state-sponsored invention, by the by. Something new was invented that opened the floodgates of the computer revolution.
Yes, I claim the PC as a breakthrough. Though if you’re anal, I could claim the microprocessor instead. Whichever creams your twinkie. [/quote]
We’ll have to agree to disagree. The PC is nothing more than a shrunk mainframe. As for the microprocessor, it’s nothing more than a sea of gates, the most relevant of which are transistors. Given that the transistor is nothing but a glorified diode, I’m gonna have to give the credit to Frederick Guthrie.
[quote]You should.
Before gas powered cars, the general public chose horses and buggies, boats, and trains over the relatively useless steam powered cars.
After gas powered cars, mass-production factories were built, roads were laid, legislation was introduced, and the very culture of industrialized nations changed to accommodate the car. Much like computers after the PC, cars became ubiquitous once the gas powered car was invented.
You cannot understate the effect the gas powered car has had on the world since its creation. The steam powered car was utterly forgettable.
Sounds like a breakthrough to me.[/quote]
There’s a clear line between “major breakthrough” and “improvement over existing technology”. By your logic, flat-screen TVs should now be considered breakthroughs, as opposed to mere improvements over RF and LED century old technology.
Try getting some perspective.
[quote]Anyhow, your original statement was this:
lixy wrote:
Well then, enlighten us. I’m having a hard time thinking about any discovery from last century (I’m talking major breakthroughs, not mere improvements) that affect my life and that weren’t state sponsored.
Seriously.
I enlightened you. Now I am done with you.
[/quote]
Orion had the ability to see that any invention you can name can be traced back to some government funded endeavor. Just depends on the perspective. You missed the point.
To sum up, while the private sector sure knows how to brush up and package a produc, tax-funded research has had an enormous impact on the evolution of sciences and technology as we know them. Therefore, the original claim that “allmost (sic) none of them were” crumbles.
