What if the transistor had gone differently?

A pea-sized switch replaces the fragile, power-hungry vacuum tube.

If it had gone differently: Computers stay room-sized, rare and institutional; there is no personal, portable, cheap electronics.

1. 1958The integrated circuit, Electronics stay built from discrete parts, wired by hand; the computer never leaves the air-conditioned room.
2. 1977The personal computer, Computers stay institutional machines; there is no home computing, no software industry, no user base for a web.
3. 1991The World Wide Web, Networked computers stay the preserve of universities and corporations; there is no open web for anyone to publish to.