Three Interesting examples of IT Solutions from Three Different Decades (Week 1)

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     Throughout the years, researchers tend to surprise us with several inventions of IT solutions. Furthermore, all of us use at least one of them during our daily life. Referring to the previous idea, it is hard to believe for us to get our day done without the use of any kind of technology. Besides the technology that is surrounded by us, there are other IT solutions that we most likely have never heard of and these inventions may come from various decades. To keep you informed, I have gathered some details regarding three fascinating examples of IT solutions that are all from different decades.

1. CAPTCHA

    CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a way of distinguishing humans and robots [1]. It was invented in the year 2000 at Carnegia Mellon University [2] Over years these CAPTCHA types started to evolve, and different kinds started to emerge. Furthermore, people started to confuse CAPTCHA and its look-alike reCAPTCHA, especially when they did not understand the difference between them. 



[source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/captcha-i-am-not-a-robot-gm1142687220-306602712]

 

    So, what is the difference between CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA? Even though both tools have practically identical capabilities, they differ in the visual level. CAPTCHA asks the user to do some simple math equations meanwhile, reCAPTCHA requires you to write words or numbers that are displayed in the image [3]. In addition, reCAPTCHA may also require you to mark the checkbox saying, “I’m not a robot”.

2. Sony PlayStation

    In 1994, Sony released the first version of the world-known console series PlayStation. The retail launch price was $299 in the US, and it was one of the first consoles to feature 3D visuals [4]. Additionally, it was considered as one of the first consoles to be CD-based which later became quite popular [4].



[source: https://www.businessinsider.com/playstation-classic-review-2018-11]

     Besides these historical facts, I want to point out the specifications of the original Sony PlayStation console. It consisted of R300 CPU (33.87 MHz), 2MB RAM, and 1MB VRAM [5]. Moreover, this console was initially launched with a controller without any analog sticks and vibration; however, after 3 years from its original launch Sony came up to a market with a newer controller with a dual analog stick which was called “DualShock” [4].

 

3. VCR

    Mostly known by the older generation, the videocassette recorder (VCR) was a big device consisting of magnetic tape which was used to play and record videos. They were introduced as early as the 1950s and became really famous in the 1970s [6]. The main reason behind the failure of 1950s models was the price of $50000 which was too much money for investing [7].



[source: https://www.toptenreviews.com/vcr-history]

It would be worth mentioning that in order to record or play those videos VCR required a cassette which contained long tapes inside. These cassettes were mainly recognized as VHS cassettes and their common type’s total capacity was approximately 2 hours [8].

 

Conclusion

          Based on the provided information, it can be said that there are so many types of IT solutions that we probably have never heard of and even if we knew them, we may struggle to know their history and features. We can also say that the roots of IT go way further than we may have ever thought. Reading through this piece of information, we can be sure that the technology will develop more from day to another.

References

  1.  https://phys.org/news/2012-06-captcha-story-squiggly-letters.html#:~:text=The%20CAPTCHA%20was%20created%20at,tell%20Computers%20and%20Humans%20Apart.
  2. https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/captcha.htm#:~:text=Short%20for%20Completely%20Automated%20Public,an%20example%20of%20a%20CAPTCHA.
  3. https://bestwebsoft.com/blog/captcha-vs-recaptcha-what-to-choose/
  4. https://www.androidauthority.com/playstation-history-1220628/
  5. https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/playstation/
  6. https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/when-did-vcr-become-popular#:~:text=VCRs%20were%20invented%20in%20the,weren't%20particularly%20convenient%20either.
  7. https://www.toptenreviews.com/vcr-history
  8. https://southtree.com/blogs/artifact/how-long-is-my-tape-what-is-the-format

 

 

 

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