There was a time when every government and university had their personal main frame computers. It was extremely expensive to own and maintain one. When geeks had to pay for time bound terminal access. The connections were subjected to the tyranny of the administrator.

The knowledge of it’s operation was limited to a handful of individuals, and access was able only to government personnels and high profile researchers.

Then came the transistor and the microprocessor revolution. Along came companies like Intel and AMD. And then the fastest growth mankind had ever witnessed.