PC Revolution from the Beginning (Photos)

The original IBM 5150, the personal computer that helped launch an industry, made its debut at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on August 12, 1981.

Photo by IBM

A marketing photo of the IBM 5150 illustrated how the company wanted to push the new personal computer into the workplace.

Photo by IBM

Don Estridge, later called "the father of the PC," led the team at IBM that developed the 5150, the personal computer that sparked the PC revolution.

Photo by IBM

An advertisement for the IBM 5150 noted: "IBM believes that the age of the personal computer has arrived."

Photo by Computer History Museum

IBM sped up development of the 5150 personal computer, worried about the encroachment of the popular Apple II into homes and businesses.

Photo by Computer History Museum

IBM turned to a young company, Microsoft, and its co-founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates, for the operating system for the 5150. This photo was shot shortly after Microsoft signed the contract with IBM. The image was featured in the Seattle Business Journal's October 19, 1981 article, "Building on success, Microsoft owners shoot for $100 million target."

Photo by Microsoft

An advertisement for MS-DOS 1.0, the operating system that got its start on the IBM 5150 and was used on the so-called clone PCs.

Photo by Microsoft

World Wide Web Celebrating 20th birthday

An illustration from Tim Berners-Lee's original proposal for an organizational system using hyperlinks and a computer network--a system then referred to as the Mesh. The proposal preceded the Web's public debut by a couple of years.

Happy birthday, Web!

On August 6, 1991--20 years ago--Tim Berners-Lee posted a summary of a project for organizing information on a computer network using a "web" of hyperlinks: the "WorldWideWeb," or W3. At the same time, the W3 made its debut as a publicly available service on the Internet. Now, as the Web turns 20, those of us here at CNET and sister site CBS News.com are giving it a big thank you for revolutionizing the world as we know it.

There have been some definite downsides to the Web, such as online predation and a reduction in privacy, but the good has far outweighed the bad. Web companies have created millions of jobs across the globe, opened people up to different cultures and ideas, and created a level of transparency in politics that's never quite been achieved before.

Through social, economic, and political actions online, the world has become entirely different than it was two decades ago. News travels faster than ever; every single person with access to the Internet has a voice to vent frustration or foster a following; and social interactions have become more varied and far-reaching.

The Web has changed the way people think and revolutionized the world as we know it in a remarkably short period of time. From clunky modems to smartphones, Web-based technology has come a long way. The only question is how far will it continue to evolve in the next 20 years?

Here's a slideshow of the favorite things to come out of the "W3."

20 presents the World Wide Web has given us

Source: CBSNews.com