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Multimedia Systems

notes
Debugging is necessary before launching a new multimedia product.

History of Multimedia

ince the late 1970s, desktop computers used in the home and office have evolved into
sophisticated systems that help us get our jobs done, deliver information, and provide
Sentertainment. Now a timeline of some of the key technologies that have contributed
to the evolution of multimedia computers are generated.
Multimedia technology has changed the way we look at computers. The first computers were
seen as single-purpose machines that solved incredibly complex mathematical problems.
During the 1960s, mainframe computers were used to manage large corporate databases
and financial systems. The 1970s saw computer terminals throughout an organization being
used for.

publishing and information management: The 1980s brought the desktop computer so
everyone could have a computer at his or desk for word processing, spreadsheets, and even
games. Bringing the computer to the individual in the office, the home, and the classroom meant
looking at the computer as more than just a fancy typewriter or automated bookkeeper.
In the mid 1980s and into the 1990s, computer developers started looking at how computers
could be used as never before. At the same time, advances in technology brought about:
1. Faster desktop computers

2. Increased working memory capacity in computers
3. Higher data storage capacity in disk drives and CD-ROMs
4. Digital audio and video

5. Graphic operating systems that worked by pointing and clicking at objects on the screen
instead of having to remember cryptic command sequences such as “dir .exe” to find a
program
6. Local and wide area networks that connected users to the world
7. Thousands of applications ranging from word processors to a myriad of multimedia
products that have changed the workplace, classroom, and the home.
Computer developers started looking to multimedia – the delivery of information using
text, pictures, audio, and video—as a way to utilize computers in a uniquely personal way.
Multimedia computers could be used to increase efficiency and productivity on the job, provide
information at our fingertips in the home, and help students learn more effectively both in
and out of the classroom. These personal gains meant that people would see computers as
practical and useful tools in their everyday lives.
Since the late 1980s, multimedia technology and applications have found many places in our
lives:
• At home where a wide variety of games and reference products such as encyclopedias
and cookbooks are put to use.
• At the office where marketing presentations and training are essential how to get a new
job done.
Contd...

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