Chapter 5 considers the revolutions in computing that took place in the 1980s and 1990s. This included the introduction of the IBM personal computer, the move from mainframes to networks of personal computers and client-server architecture and the development of mobile phone technology which transformed the existing communication paradigm of that between places to communication between people. Finally, the World Wide Web and its impact on society are discussed.

The 1980s and 1990s were a time of fundamental change in the computing field. The industry moved from a world dominated by mainframe computers to a world dominated by networks of personal computers. The invention of the World Wide Web was a revolution, and it has transformed consumer and business behaviour leading to a world that is, in effect, a global village. The speed of microprocessors improved dramatically during the period, and there were large increases in memory and storage of personal computers.
The development of the personal computer meant that computers were now affordable to ordinary consumers as well as business. This led to a consumer market for home computers and for software applications to run on these computers.
The introduction of the mobile phone was a paradigm shift from communication between places to that between people. By the late 1980s, mobile phone technology was being introduced worldwide by companies such as Motorola and Ericsson.
The analog mobile phone networks allowed voice communication only. The quality of the voice communication was poor as it was susceptible to static and noise. Further, there was no protection from eavesdropping using a scanner, but these problems were addressed by later generations of mobile phone technology. Text messaging and more advanced features only became available in the later GSM system.