Computer Literacy Project Timeline

External Events

BBC Events

1940-60s
  • COLOSSUS, BABY (Manchester), EDSAC (Cambridge), WITCH (Harwell)
1960-70s
  • Era of Mainframes, ‘mini’ computers and business machines
1964
  • First IBM Mainframe
1968
  • ICL (in UK)
1974
  • CEEFAX
1975
  • Sinclair Computers founded
1978
  • Acorn Computers founded
  • Commodore Pet £780
  • Tandy TRS80 £500
  • NASCOM 1, Apple II/Visicalc
  • BBC Computer Project initiated
1979
  • Stand alone word processing machines in offices; Business applications
  • Manpower Services Commission Report
  • ‘Something must be done’
1980
  • Sinclair ZX80 sub £100
  • Atari games machine
  • Apple III $4,000-$8,000
  • Consultative meetings with government etc
  • Decision to have an overall awareness project
  • Early audience research
  • Futile search for compatibility across machines
  • Decision to have our own machine (modest level)
  • Newbury’s New Brain developed - NRDC funded
  • New Brain fails
  • The Silicon Factor

  • First broadcast: 19th March 1980

  • View series
1981
  • Sinclair ZX81 (£100)
  • IBM PC launched $1500
  • Commodore 64
  • Lotus 1-2-3
  • BBC Spec distributed to British manufacturers (January)
  • BBC Engineering and Research and others involved
  • Acorn awarded contract (March)
  • BBC Micro evolving design
  • Telesfotware technical development
  • Managing the Micro
  • Welcome Software commissioned, The Computer Book,
  • Micro Handbook written, Guidelines for Software Writers
  • Organisation of local courses, helplines, etc. Tutors briefed
  • NEC’s 30 Hour BASIC
  • Delay in production and transmission - chip problems
1982
  • Sinclair Spectrum
  • BBC Micro Model A £299
  • Model B £399
  • BBC computers in majority of Schools; MEP and Scottish SMDP funded
  • The BBC Computer Project launch January 1982.
  • Machines more available
  • BBC Publications appoint software editor
  • Packs commissioned with eg Which?
  • Analysis and respose and preparation for second series
  • Half a million machines sold
  • Information Technology Year
  • The Computer Programme

  • First broadcast: 11th January 1982

  • View series
1983
  • The mouse emerges on Apple
  • WIMP interface (ex Xerox)
  • The BBC Buggy
  • Audience Research. Overseas sales fo programmes etc
  • BBC Telesoftware service
  • Making the Most of the Micro

  • First broadcast: 10th January 1983

  • View series
  • MTMOTM Live Special

  • First broadcast: 2nd October 1983

  • View series
1984
  • “Uk at leading edge of market”
  • (PC World).
  • Mac ‘proper’ appears
  • IBM Dos3. Cellular radio mobile phones appear
  • Work on Domesday Project begins
  • Computers in Control

  • First broadcast: 2nd March 1984

  • View series
1985
  • Atari. Apple drops Steve Jobs
  • The Learning Machine

  • First broadcast: 25th April 1985

  • View series
  • With a Little Help from the Chip

  • First broadcast: 30th August 1985

  • View series
1986
  • Amstrad’s PC
  • The internet goes ‘public’
  • Launch of Domesday Project
1987
  • Archimedes; Acorn RISC
1988
  • Jobs back at Apple
  • Repeats and some new series
  • Era of BBC interactive Laservision
  • Micro Mind Stretchers

  • First broadcast: 9th May 1988

  • View series
1989
  • BBC.co.uk registered 1989),
1990s
  • Lap tops, PDAs, tablets, games machines (sony 1994), set top boxes,
  • Spread of BBC desktop
1992
1993
  • World Wide Web proposed
1997
  • BBC Website established
1999
  • Blackberry pager
2004
  • Facebook - social networking. Mobile phone explosion
2007
  • First iphone
2008
  • ARM chips (ex Acorn) dominate in mobile phones (still do)
  • iPlayer