The progression of software from early applications with limited capacity through to the sleek masterpieces of today was not a smooth road. There have been lumps and bumps along the way and massive changes in what users except from their computers- not just what their workstations are capable of but how they feel to work with.
Until the release of the first popular home PCs, application development was largely limited to operating systems and highly technical code created by academics and research engineers. A few big corporations saw the benefits of digitalisation early on and had bespoke software systems built, but the application development industry as we know it was yet to be.
When home computers became small enough and cheap enough to be popular, the industry took off. All off a sudden there was a huge call for software that was not just effective but also user friendly, and computers began to be used for education and leisure. There was a huge explosion in software- perhaps never before or since have there been so many choices when it came to operating systems, word processors, and entertainment applications.
Over last few decades of the 20th Century, it can be argued that application development became less diverse rather than more varied. Those with serious needs still wanted bespoke packages, but in the home market clear winners were emerging- Microsoft Word for example- and many people were using the internet rather than software for education and amusement.
Then came the next great technological advance- mobile working from mobile devices. All of a sudden mobile apps exploded onto the market and reminded us how fantastic software can be, and how much it can extend the capability of a computing device. A whole new development industry sprang up (and is still springing).
Now, we’re starting to see the widespread uptake of cloud computing. This is another radical change. Instead of installing software on a hard drive, the user can access it through internet wherever they are. Mobile working itself is evolving, and so is software development.
Mobile working, application development