The humble ATM machine is a boon to all, cheerily coughing up money without as much as a 'thank you' or a 'please (give me more Mr. automated teller machine)'. Before ATM's, there was the bank, and before that, there was stuffing your money under a mattress or a large rock. Your money can be with you 24/7 thanks to the ATM which once again dominates the scene. History: The first ATM was launched in 1939 by Luther George Simjian. Customers of his institution found it to be confusing and obtuse, so production ceased after a mere six months of humbled operations. The all-powerful Barclays Bank (not so powerful these days), were the first to successfully launch ATM's once more in 1967. It was ugly, loud and used a token system, not the bank cards that we are so familiar with. Notes were expelled in little manila packets of ten pounds and this, combined with the incredible pin codes (invented a year earlier), produced safe transactions for all users of the glorious hole in the wall. In 1968 networked ATM's came about due to the combined efforts of Donald Wetzal and his baggage handling company, Docutel. Worldwide use was from 1973 and onwards. Locations: ATM's are everywhere - inside banks, outside banks, on the side of the road, near your local McDonalds, next to your home, even inside some restaurants thanks to the advancements in ATM technology. Mobile ATM's are the new buzz word in the ATM industry as they can be installed in any setting. Even inside your home if you are rich/crazy enough. Using a modem, the ATM can connect to any secure banking connection and keep your details safe from the remote location of its placement. Withdrawal fees may be high, but removing money from inside the bank via a teller operator will always incur the highest banking charges. The meat of the machine: ATMS are very simple devices in actual fact. They are very basic computers, albeit with highly advanced encryption capacities. Operating systems that you would find in even the most common of PC's are also located inside the local ATM. Windows, Linux, Java-based, and Unix operating systems are all the rage within these hungry beasts of steel and cash. The Windows based environments are harder to hack, plus offer the extended bonus of a sleeker interface with further options not possible on a DOS-based machine. Hacking is highly prevalent, as if there is a flaw then some nefarious individual will find a way to expose it. From the very beginning of the ATM there were flaws and even the most modern machines, there are gaping security holes as deep and as wide the endless ocean. A slew of security features mean nothing to thieves who dynamite ATMS and then rip them from the wall as if they were a loose scab on your goosy flesh. This is why banking institutions offer twice or three times daily security withdrawals/deposits of the total cash in the machine. Safety first! Service, reliability and integrity of service; these are all offered by the ATM. None of us can remember life before them and certainly none of us would want to live without them. The ATM is here to stay, forever.
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