History of Computers
What is a Computer ?
A computer is an electronic machine that
collects information, stores it, processes it according to user instructions,
and then returns the result.
A computer is a programmable electronic device
that performs arithmetic and logical operations automatically using a set of
instructions provided by the user.
Early
Computing Devices
People used sticks, stones, and bones as
counting tools before computers were invented. More computing devices were
produced as technology advanced and the human intellect improved over time. Let
us look at a few of the early-age computing devices used by mankind.
1. Abacus
Abacus was invented by the Chinese around 4000
years ago. It’s a wooden rack with metal rods with beads attached to them. The
abacus operator moves the beads according to certain guidelines to complete
arithmetic computations.
2. Napier’s
Bone
John Napier devised Napier’s Bones, a manually
operated calculating apparatus. For calculating, this instrument used 9
separate ivory strips (bones) marked with numerals to multiply and divide. It
was also the first machine to calculate using the decimal point system.
3. Pascaline
Pascaline was invented in 1642 by Biaise
Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher. It is thought to be the first
mechanical and automated calculator. It was a wooden box with gears and wheels
inside.
4. Stepped
Reckoner or Leibniz wheel
In 1673, a German mathematician-philosopher
named Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz improved on Pascal’s invention to create this
apparatus. It was a digital mechanical calculator known as the stepped reckoner
because it used fluted drums instead of gears.
5. Difference
Engine
In the early 1820s, Charles Babbage created the
Difference Engine. It was a mechanical computer that could do basic
computations. It was a steam-powered calculating machine used to solve
numerical tables such as logarithmic tables.
6. Analytical
Engine
Charles Babbage created another calculating
machine, the Analytical Engine, in 1830. It was a mechanical computer that took
input from punch cards. It was capable of solving any mathematical problem and
storing data in an indefinite memory.
7. Tabulating
machine
An American Statistician – Herman Hollerith
invented this machine in the year 1890. Tabulating Machine was a punch
card-based mechanical tabulator. It could compute statistics and record or sort
data or information. Hollerith began manufacturing these machines in his
company, which ultimately became International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924.
8. Differential
Analyzer
Vannevar Bush introduced the first electrical
computer, the Differential Analyzer, in 1930. This machine is made up of vacuum
tubes that switch electrical impulses in order to do calculations. It was
capable of performing 25 calculations in a matter of minutes.
9. Mark
I
Howard Aiken planned to build a machine in 1937
that could conduct massive calculations or calculations using enormous numbers.
The Mark I computer was constructed in 1944 as a collaboration between IBM and
Harvard.
History of Computers Generation
The word ‘computer’ has a very interesting
origin. It was first used in the 16th century for a person who used to compute,
i.e. do calculations. The word was used in the same sense as a noun until the
20th century. Women were hired as human computers to carry out all forms of
calculations and computations.
By the last part of the 19th century, the word
was also used to describe machines that did calculations. The modern-day use of
the word is generally to describe programmable digital devices that run on
electricity.
Early
History of Computer
Since the evolution of humans, devices have
been used for calculations for thousands of years. One of the earliest and most
well-known devices was an abacus. Then in 1822, the father of computers,
Charles Babbage began developing what would be the first mechanical computer.
And then in 1833 he actually designed an Analytical Engine which was a
general-purpose computer. It contained an ALU, some basic flow chart principles
and the concept of integrated memory.
Then more than a century later in the history
of computers, we got our first electronic computer for general purpose. It was
the ENIAC, which stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. The
inventors of this computer were John W. Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert.
And with times the technology developed and the
computers got smaller and the processing got faster. We got our first laptop in
1981 and it was introduced by Adam Osborne and EPSON.
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more Topics under Basics Of Computers
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of Computers
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Organisation
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Problems On Basics Of Computers
Generations
of Computers
In the history of computers, we often refer to
the advancements of modern computers as the generation of computers. We are
currently on the fifth generation of computers. So let us look at the important
features of these five generations of computers.
• 1st
Generation: This was from the period of 1940 to 1955. This was when machine
language was developed for the use of computers. They used vacuum tubes for the
circuitry. For the purpose of memory, they used magnetic drums. These machines
were complicated, large, and expensive. They were mostly reliant on batch
operating systems and punch cards. As output and input devices, magnetic tape
and paper tape were implemented. For example, ENIAC, UNIVAC-1, EDVAC, and so
on.
• 2nd
Generation: The years 1957-1963 were referred to as the “second generation of
computers” at the time. In second-generation computers, COBOL and FORTRAN are
employed as assembly languages and programming languages. Here they advanced
from vacuum tubes to transistors. This made the computers smaller, faster and
more energy-efficient. And they advanced from binary to assembly languages. For
instance, IBM 1620, IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC 3600, and so forth.
• 3rd
Generation: The hallmark of this period (1964-1971) was the development of the
integrated circuit. A single integrated
circuit (IC) is made up of many transistors, which increases the power of a
computer while simultaneously lowering its cost. These computers were quicker,
smaller, more reliable, and less expensive than their predecessors. High-level
programming languages such as FORTRON-II to IV, COBOL, and PASCAL PL/1 were
utilized. For example, the IBM-360 series, the Honeywell-6000 series, and the
IBM-370/168.
• 4th
Generation: The invention of the microprocessors brought along the fourth
generation of computers. The years 1971-1980 were dominated by fourth
generation computers. C, C++ and Java were the programming languages utilized
in this generation of computers. For instance, the STAR 1000, PDP 11, CRAY-1,
CRAY-X-MP, and Apple II. This was when we started producing computers for home
use.
• 5th
Generation: These computers have been utilized since 1980 and continue to be
used now. This is the present and the future of the computer world. The
defining aspect of this generation is artificial intelligence. The use of
parallel processing and superconductors are making this a reality and provide a
lot of scope for the future. Fifth-generation computers use ULSI (Ultra Large
Scale Integration) technology. These are the most recent and sophisticated
computers. C, C++, Java,.Net, and more programming languages are used. For
instance, IBM, Pentium, Desktop, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook, and so on.
Brief
History of Computers
The naive understanding of computation had to
be overcome before the true power of computing could be realized. The inventors
who worked tirelessly to bring the computer into the world had to realize that
what they were creating was more than just a number cruncher or a calculator.
They had to address all of the difficulties associated with inventing such a
machine, implementing the design, and actually building the thing. The history
of the computer is the history of these difficulties being solved.
19th
Century
1801 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, a weaver and
businessman from France, devised a loom that employed punched wooden cards to
automatically weave cloth designs.
1822 – Charles Babbage, a mathematician,
invented the steam-powered calculating machine capable of calculating number
tables. The “Difference Engine” idea failed owing to a lack of technology at
the time.
1848 – The world’s first computer program was
written by Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician. Lovelace also includes a
step-by-step tutorial on how to compute Bernoulli numbers using Babbage’s
machine.
1890 – Herman Hollerith, an inventor, creates
the punch card technique used to calculate the 1880 U.S. census. He would go on
to start the corporation that would become IBM.
Early
20th Century
1930 – Differential Analyzer was the first
large-scale automatic general-purpose mechanical analogue computer invented and
built by Vannevar Bush.
1936 – Alan Turing had an idea for a universal
machine, which he called the Turing machine, that could compute anything that
could be computed.
1939 – Hewlett-Packard was discovered in a
garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and David Packard.
1941 – Konrad Zuse, a German inventor and
engineer, completed his Z3 machine, the world’s first digital computer.
However, the machine was destroyed during a World War II bombing strike on
Berlin.
1941 – J.V. Atanasoff and graduate student
Clifford Berry devise a computer capable of solving 29 equations at the same
time. The first time a computer can store data in its primary memory.
1945 – University of Pennsylvania academics
John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert create an Electronic Numerical Integrator
and Calculator (ENIAC). It was Turing-complete and capable of solving “a vast class
of numerical problems” by reprogramming, earning it the title of “Grandfather
of computers.”
1946 – The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic
Computer) was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer designed in
the United States for corporate applications.
1949 – The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic
Calculator (EDSAC), developed by a team at the University of Cambridge, is the
“first practical stored-program computer.”
1950 – The Standards Eastern Automatic Computer
(SEAC) was built in Washington, DC, and it was the first stored-program
computer completed in the United States.
Late 20th
Century
1953 – Grace Hopper, a computer scientist,
creates the first computer language, which becomes known as COBOL, which stands
for COmmon, Business-Oriented Language. It allowed a computer user to offer the
computer instructions in English-like words rather than numbers.
1954 – John Backus and a team of IBM
programmers created the FORTRAN programming language, an acronym for FORmula
TRANslation. In addition, IBM developed the 650.
1958 – The integrated circuit, sometimes known
as the computer chip, was created by Jack Kirby and Robert Noyce.
1962 – Atlas, the computer, makes its
appearance. It was the fastest computer in the world at the time, and it
pioneered the concept of “virtual memory.”
1964 – Douglas Engelbart proposes a modern
computer prototype that combines a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI).
1969 – Bell Labs developers, led by Ken
Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, revealed UNIX, an operating system developed in
the C programming language that addressed program compatibility difficulties.
1970 – The Intel 1103, the first Dynamic Access
Memory (DRAM) chip, is unveiled by Intel.
1971 – The floppy disc was invented by Alan
Shugart and a team of IBM engineers. In the same year, Xerox developed the
first laser printer, which not only produced billions of dollars but also
heralded the beginning of a new age in computer printing.
1973 – Robert Metcalfe, a member of Xerox’s
research department, created Ethernet, which is used to connect many computers
and other gear.
1974 – Personal computers were introduced into
the market. The first were the Altair Scelbi & Mark-8, IBM 5100, and Radio
Shack’s TRS-80.
1975 – Popular Electronics magazine touted the
Altair 8800 as the world’s first minicomputer kit in January. Paul Allen and
Bill Gates offer to build software in the BASIC language for the Altair.
1976 – Apple Computers is founded by Steve Jobs
and Steve Wozniak, who expose the world to the Apple I, the first computer with
a single-circuit board.
1977 – At the first West Coast Computer Faire,
Jobs and Wozniak announce the Apple II. It has colour graphics and a cassette
drive for storing music.
1978 – The first computerized spreadsheet
program, VisiCalc, is introduced.
1979 – WordStar, a word processing tool from
MicroPro International, is released.
1981 – IBM unveils the Acorn, their first
personal computer, which has an Intel CPU, two floppy drives, and a colour
display. The MS-DOS operating system from Microsoft is used by Acorn.
1983 – The CD-ROM, which could carry 550
megabytes of pre-recorded data, hit the market. This year also saw the release
of the Gavilan SC, the first portable computer with a flip-form design and the
first to be offered as a “laptop.”
1984 – Apple launched Macintosh during the
Superbowl XVIII commercial. It was priced at $2,500
1985 – Microsoft introduces Windows, which
enables multitasking via a graphical user interface. In addition, the
programming language C++ has been released.
1990 – Tim Berners-Lee, an English programmer
and scientist, creates HyperText Markup Language, widely known as HTML. He also
coined the term “WorldWideWeb.” It includes the first browser, a server, HTML,
and URLs.
1993 – The Pentium CPU improves the usage of
graphics and music on personal computers.
1995 – Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system
was released. A $300 million promotional campaign was launched to get the news
out. Sun Microsystems introduces Java 1.0, followed by Netscape Communications’
JavaScript.
1996 – At Stanford University, Sergey Brin and
Larry Page created the Google search engine.
1998 – Apple introduces the iMac, an all-in-one
Macintosh desktop computer. These PCs cost $1,300 and came with a 4GB hard
drive, 32MB RAM, a CD-ROM, and a 15-inch monitor.
1999 – Wi-Fi, an abbreviation for “wireless
fidelity,” is created, originally covering a range of up to 300 feet.
21st
Century
2000 – The USB flash drive is first introduced
in 2000. They were speedier and had more storage space than other storage media
options when used for data storage.
2001 – Apple releases Mac OS X, later renamed
OS X and eventually simply macOS, as the successor to its conventional Mac
Operating System.
2003 – Customers could purchase AMD’s Athlon
64, the first 64-bit CPU for consumer computers.
2004 – Facebook began as a social networking
website.
2005 – Google acquires Android, a mobile phone
OS based on Linux.
2006 – Apple’s MacBook Pro was available. The
Pro was the company’s first dual-core, Intel-based mobile computer.
Amazon Web Services, including Amazon Elastic
Cloud 2 (EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service, were also launched (S3)
2007 – The first iPhone was produced by Apple,
bringing many computer operations into the palm of our hands. Amazon also
released the Kindle, one of the first electronic reading systems, in 2007.
2009 – Microsoft released Windows 7.
2011 – Google introduces the Chromebook, which
runs Google Chrome OS.
2014 – The University of Michigan Micro Mote
(M3), the world’s smallest computer, was constructed.
2015 – Apple introduces the Apple Watch.
Windows 10 was also released by Microsoft.
2016 – The world’s first reprogrammable quantum
computer is built.
Types of
Computers
1. Analog
Computers – Analog computers are built with various components such as gears
and levers, with no electrical components. One advantage of analogue
computation is that designing and building an analogue computer to tackle a
specific problem can be quite straightforward.
2. Digital
Computers – Information in digital computers is represented in discrete form,
typically as sequences of 0s and 1s (binary digits, or bits). A digital
computer is a system or gadget that can process any type of information in a
matter of seconds. Digital computers are categorized into many different types.
They are as follows:
a. Mainframe
computers – It is a computer that is generally utilized by large enterprises
for mission-critical activities such as massive data processing. Mainframe
computers were distinguished by massive storage capacities, quick components,
and powerful computational capabilities. Because they were complicated systems,
they were managed by a team of systems programmers who had sole access to the
computer. These machines are now referred to as servers rather than mainframes.
b. Supercomputers
– The most powerful computers to date are commonly referred to as
supercomputers. Supercomputers are enormous systems that are purpose-built to
solve complicated scientific and industrial problems. Quantum mechanics,
weather forecasting, oil and gas exploration, molecular modelling, physical
simulations, aerodynamics, nuclear fusion research, and cryptoanalysis are all
done on supercomputers.
c. Minicomputers
– A minicomputer is a type of computer that has many of the same features and
capabilities as a larger computer but is smaller in size. Minicomputers, which
were relatively small and affordable, were often employed in a single
department of an organization and were often dedicated to a specific task or
shared by a small group.
d. Microcomputers – A microcomputer is a small computer that is based on a microprocessor integrated circuit, often known as a chip. A microcomputer is a system that incorporates at a minimum a microprocessor, program memory, data memory, and input-output system (I/O). A microcomputer is now commonly referred to as a personal computer (PC).
e. Embedded processors – These are miniature computers that control electrical and mechanical processes with basic microprocessors. Embedded processors are often simple in design, have limited processing capability and I/O capabilities, and need little power. Ordinary microprocessors and microcontrollers are the two primary types of embedded processors. Embedded processors are employed in systems that do not require the computing capability of traditional devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, or workstations.