Webster’s dictionary defines technology as “the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area” and “a manner of accomplishing a task, especially using technical processes or methods”. The etymology of both words, technology and technical, is the Greek word techne meaning art or skill, maybe even craftsmanship.
Steve Wozniak wrote a piece about technology in the latest issue of Popular Mechanics. To me, Mr. Wozniak is having a tough time making a point. In fact, I am not sure what point he is trying to make. Something about the pyramids of Egypt not being a technology.
I am not an expert on the history of architecture, but it should be clear that the pyramids were the manifestation of technology. The method of building something the size and complexity of the 138 pyramids in Egypt in less than a hundred years is clearly a process that involves considerable skill. This should be even more clear from the fact that no one has been able to explain how it was done until very recently. That’s a 4000 year old technology.
也许石材建筑不是沃兹尼亚克先生的观点的主要技术。然而，他确实在任何使我们提高生产力“技术实际上是我们能力的放大器的方面的任何事情方面定义了技术。这可能是某些情况的良好操作定义，但不是很有帮助。
晶体管是Wozniak的实际技术的例子，并且所有现代电子设备的启用技术都靠在晶体管上。我不敢苟同。创造了对晶体管类似的东西的潜在的“技术”是通过图灵和巴贝比提出的计算机的概念，通用逻辑求解机器。如果通过机电技术实验没有创建“计算机”，则不需要晶体管的需要永远不会出现。
晶体管是应对效率低下methods of creating logic solving circuitry. The first computers were relay and vacuum tube systems of massive size that were difficult to program. Though these systems were considered largely academic curiosities, the practical applications became clear. Solving tables of trajectory calculations for artillery based on a particular cannon, shell size and elevation angle meant a huge increase in precision for the military. Had it not been for Turing’s code breaking of the Nazi intelligence system, we might all be speaking German today.
The notion of a calculating engine to solve problems becomes the computer of recent vintage because the speed and cost of this capability has been increased 1,000,000 times since it’s inception. The complexity of programming has largely been eliminated by the creation of operating systems and “canned” software programs that do myriads of tasks at increasing speeds.
这是第一位的;芯片或电脑？
提起：机电提示
