Most people are invited to the location of the digital age, the first place, the name comes to mind is Silicon Valley. While Silicon Valley has certainly played an important role in the digital age, his birth was 3,000 miles east ring road around Boston, called Road 128th
The original analog and digital computers were developed by the company in the early 1950s, building operations in Greater Boston. Large enterprises across Route 128 located including Digital Equipment Corporation, Data General, Thermo Electron Corporation, AnalogDevices, computer vision, GTE, Polaroid, Sun Microsystems, BEA Systems, EMC Corporation and Raytheon.
“The semi-magic circle
In 1955, Business Week published an article entitled “New England Highway interfere Old Way of Life” and referred to the Route 128 “The semi-circle magic. Magic set-ups to the computer, which were to change the world forever.
An important resource in the Boston area, MIT and Harvard and several other universities who have technological expertise in specific areas: the Boston University Photonics developed, for example. Graduates of these institutions, founded pioneering high-tech companies like Digital and Data One. The founder of Digital Equipment were graduates of the Digital Computer Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Digital is located in Maynard, MA best workmanship for the introduction of the mini-computer, the information industry, a development that customers how the computer knows the perceived potential changed. In defining the needs of a new generation of computer users, digital has opened the way for the development of the personal computer and workstation. In 1960, the company launched its first computer, the PDP-1 (Program Data Processor). The PDP-1 came with a cathode ray tube (CRT) to see a screen that the user what has been seized and obtained a permit from the CPU. Unlike the mainframe room filling the day, the PDP-1 was not larger than a refrigerator. In the fall of 1965, the Digital PDP-eighth This machine has triggered explosive growth of the minicomputer industry and the company has grown from a small technical company to a major computer manufacturer.
Digital competitor, based on data Westborough General-One has been one of the first minicomputer firms from the late 1960s. Three of the four founders were former employees of Digital Equipment Corporation. Their first product, Scotland, Data General One, it was one of the first minicomputer firms from the late 1960s. New is a mini-computers 16-bit.
Since the 80s and early 70s, computer architectures in the industry to lead persons working in companies such as Digital, Data General and Prime developed. With the overwhelming dominance of the PC, however, is the center of heat and light for the PC such as the Intel microprocessor and Microsoft operating system providers provider.
These high-tech computer companies were the generators of economic growth in Massachusetts in the 1980s. The term “Massachusetts Miracle” refers to a period of economic growth in the State of Massachusetts for most of the 1980s. Previously, the state had hit hard by deindustrialization and the consequent unemployment. Growth has been focused largely on high-tech industry and financial services in Boston and its suburbs along the road 128th expansion of high-tech industry in MA-128 is similar to the phrase ” 128 “led the way more than the same road, but the technology of the region as a whole, such as Silicon Valley.
20th Century Business Model
The rapid success of Route 128 has been its innovative technology and leadership. Although cutting because it is time, lost most of their competitive advantage through the mid-1980s. Digital is a good case study. customers digital services are mostly scientists and engineers, which did not require technical support, where the company has offered virtually no software and maintenance services giant competitors. Digital does not spend its capital on software design and maintenance, and submitted their savings to our customers. With a lion’s share of the market for workstations, it was satisfied with its dominant market position of the mini-computer basis. However, digital has been slow to adapt its products to new markets.
Until 1990, companies such as Digital, Data One and Wang prepared for the 21st Century and the advent of cyberspace. Although Norwood, MA based Wang enjoyed much success on the PC market, they succumbed to a hostile takeover. Digital had ignored a computer consultant and expert on trends, the old mainframe model was provided quickly obsolete.
IBM, which invented the PC saw the potential consumer market for computers after his first computer sold by Apple in 1978. The Route 128 companies had no vision to other markets as a big company, and other hardware and software engineers.
Silicon Valley, however, was ahead of the curve on the market for consumer computers. Intel has strategic partnerships with IBM and other PC makers, and the partnership with Microsoft, which makes Silicon Valley and the front center of the dot-com boom.
Route 128 today
Today, after the economists, venture capitalists, executives and technology, the strength of Boston is, and others operating in areas such as Internet software and biotechnology, which crosses the concentration talents of MIT, Harvard, Boston University. A 2004 study by MIT and the Bank of Boston, a national examination at the beginning of the economic impact of a research university, found that MIT graduates and faculty were 4,000 companies and employs a set . 1 million people and generates U.S. $ 232 billion in sales worldwide. If the company founded by MIT alumni formed an independent nation, it would be the 24th largest economy in the world to be somewhere between South Africa and Thailand, according to the study. Massachusetts has the largest number of patent applications per capita in each state. It remains, however, no comprehensive report on these figures, the panic of 2008.
Greater Boston is a global technology hub. He has a healthy competition with Silicon Valley. IBM Lotus Development Corp., based in Cambridge, holds in its own groupware vs. Netscape and Microsoft. EMC Corp. in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, is a global leader in data storage and computer products is at the forefront of cloud computing. Open Market Inc., Cambridge companies, is competing successfully against Microsoft and Netscape in the distribution of software for e-commerce.
The greatest strength of Boston is that it has remained relatively unscathed by the crash of 2000 Dot Com, has lost its devastating impact on the Silicon Valley in terms of number of jobs. Another positive point from the Silicon Valley, Boston, cost of living. Most companies of old, but effective, accessible public transportation to Boston. Although commercial and residential rental prices remain high, the cost of renting an apartment in Somerville and Medford are lower than those of Silicon Valley. Even in the current market turbulence estate real, real estate prices in Greater Boston to compete with Silicon Valley.
While Boston remains in the shadow of Silicon Valley, it shows no sign of disappearing as an area of IT innovation and development.