Final answer:
Correct answer is 4) .In the 1950s, the typical computer user would have been a government agency due to the complexity and cost of computers at the time. Personal computing became more widespread in the late 1970s and 1980s with the introduction of fully assembled personal computers.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the early 1950s, a typical computer user would have been a government agency. At this time, computers were large, expensive, and complex machines that required intricate data management systems to operate. A quintessential example of early computer use is by the U.S. Census Bureau, which utilized these devices for tasks like transferring data from paper questionnaires to microfilm for faster processing. The expense and technical skill required to operate early computers made them inaccessible to most individuals and businesses. Instead, these machines were mostly confined to government agencies, military applications, universities, and select large corporations.
It wasn't until the late 1970s and early 1980s that computer technology began to be more accessible to the general public with the advent of fully assembled personal computers from companies like Apple, Commodore, and Tandy. The history of technology and computers, particularly the pervasive and influential role they play today, has deep roots in these early governmental and institutional uses. It is clear that the average person, such as computer gamers, medical doctors, politicians, or secretaries, would not have been the typical users of computers in the 1950s.