How do we make computers communicate with humans? The first computers, developed in the 1940s, were no more than huge boxes filled with complex electronics. The computer operators used binary code and primitive peripheral devices, such as punched card readers, to communicate with them. The next generation of computers used the typewriter as an input/output device. Since the end of 1960s, monitors and keyboards have become the standard way of communication between computers and humans. Other input devices, such as touch screen, mouse, joystick, scanner, and voice recognition modules, also became available to users. All these devices have made possible the development of interactive computer systems, which permit users to communicate with computers by entering data and control directions during program execution. A part of an interactive computer system that communicates with the user is known as a user interface.

How Computers and Humans Work Together