Computer memory

When I first started learning about computer memory it was the 1960s when they still had Ferrous cores with wires going two directions through little magnets. So, it was easy to actually look at memory then because there were no "Hard drives" or microchips much yet. Though Microchips had been invented in 1958 by Jack Kirby. So, mostly one "processed" most information through "Punch cards" which were cards of a specific size and design which allowed the memory within a computer to process the information on these cards in specific ways. However, in order to do this since RAM (Random Access Memory) either didn't exist yet or was way way too expensive you had to sort punch cards by specific fields (areas of punches) to sort them into different groups by these fields in order for the Computer to do anything with them at all. So, you had Accounting machines and sorting machines and reproducers (to make more of a specific punch card type) in various kinds of situations you would encounter while processing information. You also had key punch operators who could make a new (key) card for specific batches of information. However, with the advent of microchips and random access memory this all became thousands of times easier to do and punch cards and all the other types of equipment of that era became quickly obsolete during the 1970s. So, by the 1980s home computers like the ones made by IBM as well became resident in businesses throughout the U.S. and then Throughout the world. I believe the first one IBM made was the XT in the early 1980s. This became the work horse for businesses until further evolutions of home computers took place.

However, most computers made were called "IBM Clones" which meant companies not IBM all over the world made their own versions of home computers and parts from then on.

In 1968 I worked for a company that did Automated Accounting for the largest car dealerships in California at that time. So, they sent their computer paper tapes with all their accounting data to us so we could process it into spreadsheets and return it to the accountants for those businesses all over California. Millions of dollars of equipment was necessary to accomplish this then but your  laptop is far more powerful than millions of dollars of computers and processing equipment and punch cards then. So now, an accountant only needs one or two computers online to process almost anything needed for any business on earth except the biggest ones who might need thousands of computers.

At that time they used a Univac Optical Scanner to scan the tapes to make the punch cards to process the information through an IBM 360 computer and this computer was literally running 24 hours a day 7 days a week to accomplish the spreadsheets we returned to all the largest car dealerships in California then in 1968.

Note: I was thinking of the times and I don't think Spreadsheets was a part of the vernacular yet. So, we would make printouts hundreds of pages long often for companies then. However, then printouts were different than now because there were perforations and hundreds of sheets of paper often were connected by paper with perforations that could be torn off as wished eventually.

So, one could call them spread sheets but really they were hundreds of pages of usually connected printouts printed for bookkeepers and accountants of those dealerships. And if you wanted individual sheets you could tear them on their perforations and you could also tear off the perforations fairly easily too.

Eventually this all evolved into single sheets mostly printed on home or business printers from individual home PCs or Apple  computers today. So now, all this is done completely differently in every way now.