ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of computer hardware in Yugoslavia

Long ago, when your parents and grandparents were children, there was a country called Yugoslavia in Europe. Yugoslavia was made up of many smaller countries and peoples who came together to live as one big country.

Now, things were a bit different in Yugoslavia than they are today. Back then, computers were not as common as they are now. In fact, computers were really just starting to be invented and used in the 1950s and 1960s. But Yugoslavia was very interested in these new machines and wanted to be part of this technological revolution.

So, in the early 1960s, a company called Iskra started making computers in Yugoslavia. These computers were very big and not very easy to use. They were used mainly by businesses and the government. Scientists also used these computers for research.

The Iskra company continued to make and improve these computers throughout the 1960s and 1970s. By the 1980s, they had even started making personal computers, which were smaller and easier to use than the earlier models.

However, Yugoslavia was a socialist country, which meant that the government controlled many things, including the production of computers. This made it harder for companies like Iskra to innovate and keep up with the fast-changing world of computer technology.

Unfortunately, in the 1990s, Yugoslavia fell apart as different ethnic groups wanted to break away and form their own countries. This made it even harder for companies like Iskra, which eventually went bankrupt in the 2000s.

Today, there are still companies in the countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia that make and use computers. But the story of Iskra and the history of computer hardware in Yugoslavia serve as a reminder of how difficult it can be to keep up with new technologies in a rapidly changing world.