History of Computers

Information taken from:Microsoft Office 97 Professional by Lawrence Press

Microsoft Visual Basic by Lawrence Press

First True ComputerENIAC (1943)

Mechanical DevicePascaline (1642)

Generation 4 ComputerGateway Tablet PC (2006)

http://www.gateway.com/products/gconfig/proddetails.asp?seg=ed&system_id=m280eb

1. Pre-Computer

Abacus: used by ancient Babylon, China, and throughout Europe until the middle ages.

Arabic Numerals: base 10 number system used toward the end of the middle ages.

2. Pre-ComputerMechanical Devices

Pascaline (1642),Stepped Reckoner (late 1600), Jacqards Loom (1810)Difference Engine (1822)• Moving parts & gears• Calculator only• Mechanically unreliable • Some used punch cards

Babbage’s Analytical Engine (1830)• Created after the failure of the

Difference Engine.• If this machine worked it would have

made a decision BUT it never worked.• It served as the basis for the modern

computer.• Ada Byron was chief collaborator with

Babbage.

3. Pre-Computer Electro-Mechanical Devices Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine (1880)

Mark I (1930)• Moving parts/gears with electricity• Calculator only• Use of punch cards

What makes a machine a computer versus a calculating

device?

• A computer can do comparisons and make a decisions based on that!!

• Remember the computer is only as smart as its program. A computer may appear to be thinking but it isn’t. It is only carrying out the instructions it is told by the program. If the program is wrong, then the computer will carry out those incorrect instruction.

4. ComputerI. 1st Generation –ENIAC

(1943), EDVAC, EDSAC, & UNIVAC• Vacuum tubes (1904)• Only for government or huge

corporations could afford

II. 2nd Generation – System 650 (1960’s)

– Transistors (1947’s)

– Smaller, faster, and cheaper than previous

– Use of programming languages– More government agencies and

larger businesses could afford

Info on Programming• Before programming languages,

computer had to be programmed by rewiring different switches to their ON or OFF position.

• 1st programming language was called machine language Binary: number system with 2 digits: 0 & 1 This works well for computers because circuits have

two states: On and Off How does Binary relate to electricity? 1 for On 0 for

Off

• High-level language used English-like commands for instruction which the computer translated to 0 and 1. COBOL, FORTRAN, Visual Basic, etc.

III.3rd Generation – System 360 (1964)• Integrated Circuit (IC or chip)

(1960)

• Smaller, faster, and cheaper than previous

• More affordable for smaller businesses

1st Intel CPU Created by Marcian Hoff

Engineer at Intel Corporation

IV.4th Generation – Personal Computer (1975)

• Microprocessor (CPU) on one chip (1970)

• Smaller, faster, and cheaper than previous

• More affordable for home use

Mainframe vs PC• Mainframe are large computer systems that are

used by government, corporations, big business, banks, and universities.

• Terminals connect to the main computer system allowing hundreds of users to connect to the same system.

• This term was coined in the 1970’s when new mini-computer were created so the term mainframe was used to describe computer up to this point.

• Today's PC can do more than older mainframe systems.

• The mainframe term is somewhat blurred now with the networking of PC to servers. Most big business still use mainframes today but these systems work differently than first mainframe systems.

Advantages of Computersover the Human Brain

• Computer has reliable memory with the ability to store and recall large amounts of data over long periods of time.

• Computer has speed which enables it to process data quickly.

• Computers has the ability to work 24hrs a day w/o rest.

Advantages of Human Brain

over the Computers• Human is needed for a job when

human judgment is needed. For example – launching a nuclear bomb.

• Human is needed for jobs were artistic expression is needed. For example – writing a novel, writing music, creating art, designing clothes, etc.