Six decades of computing: from mainframes to AI

Computer Weekly marks its 60th anniversary on 22 September 2026. Columnist Mark Hillary reviews six decades of technological change, tracing developments from room-sized mainframes to current consumer artificial intelligence.

Hillary identifies several technical milestones. He cites Tim Berners‑Lee’s creation of the World Wide Web at CERN, the ARM processor architecture developed by Acorn in Cambridge that now powers most mobile devices, Scottish inventor James Goodfellow’s 1966 patent for the plastic bank card and PIN, and the opening of the first cash machine at Barclays in Enfield in 1967.

Hillary places himself in the generation born around Computer Weekly’s launch in 1966. He writes that he studied A‑level computer science and later worked in software engineering for more than 30 years. He describes teaching children to code and control robots in Washington DC in the early 1990s.

He details specific professional projects. Hillary designed software for Siemens Nixdorf checkouts used by major UK retailers and created the bitmap of the Dixons logo that printed on 1990s receipts. He also worked on trading floors in the City of London in the 1990s and developed an arbitrage programme he named “Bonanza,” which he describes as providing highly profitable trading ideas.

Hillary writes that he later became a technology director responsible for connecting a bank to global stock exchanges and that frequent business travel was a routine part of the job.

On consumer changes, Hillary points to voice assistants and smart speakers, giving the example “Alexa, play Harry Styles.” He notes that mobile apps and messaging platforms now allow free video calls across continents and that new instant payment systems such as PIX are used for everyday transactions. He contrasts these services with the 1960s, when an international voice call often required booking a short slot and paying hundreds of dollars.

Hillary describes a shift in his own career from running technology systems to writing about them. He writes that he has published books for the British Computer Society and the United Nations and that his 29th book appeared in 2026. He continues to work as a ghostwriter for senior leaders in companies and government and recalls helping Neil Armstrong add jokes to a standard speech.

The column notes Computer Weekly’s ongoing presence in the sector as it marks 60 years, including recognition for the magazine’s reporting on the British Post Office Horizon software scandal.

Hillary’s account records specific dates, places and technologies as part of a six‑decade overview that appears in Computer Weekly’s anniversary coverage.