Overview

The microprocessor, a computer's central processing unit on a single silicon chip, dramatically changed the course of electronic technology more than 30 years ago. It made the computer affordable for the average person and introduced the benefits of stored-program computing to virtually all sectors of human enterprise. Far from just eliminating the need for dozens of hard-wired components on a circuit board, it introduced new and previously unattainable versatility into communications and data processing equipment and accelerated the acceptance of digital electronics. Now that circuit capabilities are no longer limited to the capabilities of the components wired to the circuit board, software has become the controlling factor in determining many circuit applications.

The microprocessor made the personal computer a reality and turned word processing, spread-sheet preparation, programming, and database preparation into activities that can be done in the privacy of one's home. It has also introduced a new era in personal communications, information retrieval, and entertainment. With the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web, the personal computer is now competing with the library as a source of information, with the telephone and postal service for personal communication, and with the TV set as a home entertainment provider.

The microprocessor paces computer technology, and the performance of microprocessors has improved so rapidly that most personal computers have become technically obsolete in about two years. This has led to a lively computer replacement business, to say nothing of the growing market for new peripheral hardware and software to...