The computer has become ubiquitous in everyday American life. Not only do many Americans use computers in their jobs, millions have computers in their homes and schools, and there are computers in daily transactions ranging from the supermarket to the bank to the automobile. Business in particular relies on computers for the efficient and effective execution of its plans, and it is difficult to imagine daily life without e-mail or the Internet. Yet it took many decades for the computer to reach this level of acceptance, and innovation was initially limited to a few large companies and the government which, combined, had the resources required to develop the innovations that ultimately drove the development of the computer. This research considers the role of the government in moving the technology forward, and the role that the government might play in the future of computing innovation.
According to Moore's Law, the component capacity of silicon chips doubles approximately every two years. The "law" is named for Gordon Moore who put forth this idea in 1965. In the intervening years, it has been extrapolated to mean that computing power doubles approximately every two years. For many years, Moore's original meaning did, in fact, hold up. Given that his idea was based on the computer as it evolved in the 1950s, it is notable that his prediction of the rate of innovation was sound 40 years later. Today, Moore's Law is used to illustrate the exponential rate of growth in computing capability ("Excerpts," 2005).
When considering the history of the computer, Moore's Law is important because it illustrates that innovation initially happened at a relatively slow rate. As more institutions became involved in computing and as more knowledge was accumulated and disseminated, the rate of change increased. Innovations in component technology-to which Moore's Law specifically refers-was also necessary in orde...