Computer industry in Gylias

The computer industry in Gylias is a significant component of the economy and plays a significant role in public life. Gylian computing is distinct from other Tyranian computing industries, having been profoundly influenced by the Golden Revolution, use of cybernetics for economic planning, and the ideals of the Gylian consensus.

Major ideas that have contributed to Gylian technological development include democratic socialism, refusal of work, and the need for technological sovereignty.

History

Early history

Some uncoordinated work on computers took place at universities in the Free Territories and during the transition to Gylias.

The first large-scale computer was manufactured in 1960.

1960s–1970s

The creation of the Hermes Programme stimulated significant development in the computer industry. Further benefits came from Gylias' membership in the Common Sphere, allowing technology sharing and imports, the provision of capital through the National Capital Investment Board, and the work of the Institute for the Protection of Leisure, which aggressively pushed for automation in order to reduce working hours.

Much of the computing research in the period was done in universities and institutes of technology, with strong support from governments and the IPL. The first 16-bit minicomputers appeared in the late 1960s. Gyliair began using a computer reservation system in the early 1970s.

During the Golden Revolution, the computing industry was mainly oriented towards scientific, engineering, office, accounting and cybernetic decentralised planning applications. Common standards in peripherals and digital capacity were adopted, a task made easier by public investment and influence over the industry.

1980s

A worker at an assembly plant producing a mainframe computer, 1985

The wretched decade caused a period of stagnation in the computer industry. However, it was also the period in which common hardware and software standards were consolidated, and home computers appeared on the market.

Gylian Post and Telecommunications introduced the videotex service Infotel in 1980. A national research and education network, GUNET, was created in 1984. It initially linked Gylias' higher education institutions, and was later expanded through a Common Sphere project to link member states' education and research institutions, Commonet.

The popularisation of personal computers began in the 1980s, and resulted in the emergence of several traits specific to Gylian computing, including the use of free and open-source software and operating systems. During the late 1980s, efforts were made to configure personal computers to connect to Infotel.

The creation of Gyldiv, the publicly-owned video game console manufacturer, had a crucial role in the growth of Gylian gaming. Gyldiv's imposition of unified hardware and software standards consolidated the market by preventing the appearance of multiple competing console standards, and ensured that consoles were compatible with personal computers. Consoles thus became open platforms, programmable by consumers and friendly to hobbyist developers.

1990s–2000s

Personal computers spread greatly and achieved widespread popularity during the 1990s, together with the internet. Following the stagnation of the wretched decade, the Mathilde Vieira government put ICT at the heart of its economic stimulus program.

Increased public investment, the introduction of computer literacy courses in public education, and nationwide public works programs that included installing internet connections to achieve universal access were among the contributors to the rapid growth of personal computing and the internet during the decade.

While the Infotel was superseded and assimilated into the larger internet, technological sovereignty remained a cornerstone of public policy. Government policies were used to ensure that Gylian-made technology and software was used for the internet, which was regulated as a public utility. These and other factors gave Gylias' cyberculture a distinctive character within Tyran.

The accelerated transition to an information society was also fueled by the IPL's rejuvenated efforts to increase productivity in order to reduce working hours. The growth of the internet proved a boon for decentralised economic planning and civic and social participation in governance and policymaking.

Overview

The Gylian computer industry is composed of cooperatives and self-employment. Long-term public investments and public ownership of strategic areas such as internet infrastructure have resulted in certain common practices and standards to ensure compatibility and user modularity.

Gylian software and operating systems are overwhelmingly open source.

Computing in Gylias has been strongly shaped by the ideals of anarchism and the Gylian consensus. The result has been a strong emphasis on harnessing technology to improve quality of life, guaranteeing universal democratic access to information, and a distinctive, laid-back character for the Gylian internet.