I think that the objective of module one was to give a general feel for the development of the microcomputer industry. Of how the components, software, companies and personalities all contributed to make the industry what it is to day.
We learnt something of the basic architecture and the technology behind it. This included the microchip, the printed circuit through to binary as away of representing information, and how Moores law predicted that the number of transistors on a piece of silicone (the building block of microchips) would double every eighteen months.
Companies like IBM came to dominate the industry because they could use their size to dominate volume sales. But their size and management structure was also their vulnerability. The clone makers showed that been able to adapt quickly to the growth in technology was an advantage.
People like Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple imprinted their personalities not only into the products that they developed but also into a style of working. This flat style empowered personnel to get on with what they did best and encouraged creativity.
Xerox allowed the use of this flat style in their research centre at Palo Alto and because the researchers were allowed to use their creativity some of the best ideas in computing today were developed. These include the mouse, GUI (used in Widows and Apple), Ethernet and the laser printer to name but a few. Module 1 exercise 6.6 planning a web report shows some of the developments at Xerox PARC.
 

References.

• Naughton, J. (1999) A Brief History of the Future, London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

• Weller M. (2002) Module 1 [online] The Open University. Available from:                                 http://t171.open.ac.uk/t171/module1 [Accessed 25 February 2002]