Role of computer in comunication advances?

Question

Role of computer in comunication advances?

Answer 1

The largest role of computers, in one sense, in advancing communications has been to automate switching devices.

In the past, the analog telephone system required human operators to manually switch phone connections, using what they called "switchboards."

Although we consider computers to be number crunchers, the logic circuits are just really complicated on/off switches. So it was natural to use their faster ability to switch between on and off to regulate telephone connections.

With satellites, digital phone systems, and the internet, we forget how a basic concept such as switching can support rapid, accurate communication, and how slow and inefficient things would be without it.

Ask anyone who remembers "party-lines."