History & Philosophical Development of the Science of

Computing

1.1 The Computer Revolution

Computer RevolutionEarly calculating machines

Mechanical devices used to add and subtractBy Babylonian (Iraq) 5000 years ago In 17th century, John Napier developed a series of rods

called bones to produce first table of algorithms (arithmetic operation)

In 1642, Blaise Pascal produced Pascaline which use wheel to add number

After 30 years. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz produced device call Stepped Reckoner which used gear or wheel to perform computations (multiplication and division)

Stepped Reckoner

Computer RevolutionEarly calculating machines

1801 Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented an automatic loom

The Jacquard loom was the first machine to use punch cards to control a sequence of operations.

Although no computation involved, it is considered an important step in the history of computing hardware

Jacquard Loom

Jacquard loom on display at Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England

Computer RevolutionEarly calculating machines

1820 Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar produced the arithmometer, the first four function practical mechanical calculator

In 19th century, Charles Babbage designed a steam-powered machine called the difference engine to calculate numbers of mathematical table

Analytical engine capable to do a variety of mathematical computations

Computer RevolutionEarly calculating machines

Herman Hollerith an employee of Census Office in Washington developed punch card processing machine called Census Tabulator to process census data

Consisted of a manual card puncher, an electronic card reader and an electromechanical card sorter

The company merged and change its name several times

Today, its new name is International Business Machine Corporation (IBM)

Computer RevolutionEarly calculating machines

A new class of computing device called analog computer used electrical voltages to represent physical quantities

Function by establishing an analog between a physical quantity and a voltage lever

In 1940s, first electronic computer ABC (Atanasoff Berry Computer) and ENIAC (Electric numerator, Integrator, Analyzer and Computer) were built.

ENIAC

Computer RevolutionEarly calculating machines

In 1949, the first electronic computer operating under the control of a stored program called EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer) was completed

Stored program is a set of instruction stored internally that guide the computer step by step through a process

The first integrated circuit (IC) produced by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments in 1960

Computer RevolutionFirst generation (1942 – 1959)

Utilized vacuum tubes in their circuitry and for the storage of data and instructions

The vacuum was bulky, cause tremendous heat problem and it caused a great number of breakdown

Magnetic core replaced the vacuum tube

Programming done in machine language that is combination of bit or binary digits 0 and 1

Binary digit is the way of representing data

Computer RevolutionSecond generation (1959 – 1965)

The replacement of vacuum tube in computer circuit with the transistor

Because of the speed and small size, computer were developed to perform a single operation in microseconds (millionths of second)

Capable to store tens of thousand of characters

2nd generation computers extremely more reliable, compact in size and virtually free of heat problem

Computer RevolutionSecond generation (1959 – 1965)

Business oriented computer with more efficient storage and faster input and output capabilities

Programming language written both in machine language and symbolic language

Symbolic language utilized symbolic names or representations for computer command and symbolic names for items of data

Computer RevolutionThird generation (1965 - 1970)

Characterized by microminiaturized integrated circuits with components so small

Increased input/output, storage and processing capabilities

Input/output introduced to communicate with computers over telephone line, display pictures on a television and musical

Could process instruction in nanoseconds (billionths of a second)

Process set of instructions (programs) concurrently

Computer RevolutionFourth generation (1970 - )

Introduced monolithic storage device (the components and surface that supports them utilized the same materials eg. Silicon)

Improved and further miniatured integrated logic circuits and as actual laser memory was constructed for NASA

The beam of the laser has the ability to carry all the conversations going on at one time on the planet earth

Computer Revolution

Fourth generation (1970 - )IBM has introduced the concept of

virtual storageVirtual storage capable to store billions

and trillions of charactersCD ROM become a data storage

memory in choiceEncoded with a series of on and off bitsThe average CD can store 4,800 millions

bit or 600 millions characters of data