Introduction to ITCS 1214

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Introduction to ITCS 1214
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A Brief History of Computers

• Charles Babbage builds Analytical Engine in
  mid-1800s made from axels and gears that could
  store and process 40 digit numbers
• 1940 Howard Aiken at Harvard, and Atanasoff and
  Berry at Iowa State create Mark I, an electronic
  computer. It could not act on intermediate
  results.
• 1945 Mauchly and Eckert at U. Pennsylvania build
  the ENIAC Electronic Numerical Integrator and
  Calculator
• Weighed 33 tons, 17,000 vacuum tubes
• 5000 additions per second

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• 1955 There are 300 computers in the world build
  mostly by IBM and Remington Rand, based on vacuum
  tubes.
• Late 1950s and 1960 computers are based on the
  transistor, the first solid-state computers.
• DEC creates the Minicomputer about the size of
  a file cabinet.
• Mainframes, such as the IBM 360 are prominent in
  large companies and Universities.
• Late 1970s. The Personal computer becomes
  available with advances in microchip technology.
• Microsoft and Apple are formed

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• Currently
• PCs 95 use Microsoft Windows operating system.
  Huge array of software available.
• Minicomputers are still popular with small
  business and Universities.
• Mainframes are in use at large corporations.
• Supercomputers very powerful and specialized
  for massive computing problems used by
  corporations and government departments.

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Computer Basics

• Components of a computer
• CPU Central Processing Unit
• Internal memory
• RAM (Random Access Memory)
• ROM (Read Only Memory)
• Mass storage device Hard disk drives, floppy
  disk, CD, DVD
• Input devices keyboard and mouse
• Output Devices monitor and printer

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• Basic Units of Memory
• 1 bit (0 or 1)
• 1 byte -gt storage for one character
• 210 bytes 1024 bytes 1 kilobyte (KB)
• 1024 KB 1 megabyte (MB)
• 1024 MB 1 gigabyte (GB)
• (Many people will approximate to steps of 1000,
  not 1024)

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Software and Programming Languages

• Application Software
• Word Processors
• Database Managers
• Spreadsheets
• Photo Editors
• Web browsers, email programs

• System Software
• Operating systems Windows, DOS, Linux, UNIX

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Programming Languages

• Machine Languages
• 0110110111110111 0000000100000000
  0000000100000000
• Assembly Languages
• ADD A,B
• High-level Languages
• Look more like English words and algebraic
  expressions
• Examples of High Level Languages
• ADA
• BASIC
• C
• COBOL
• Java
• Pascal
• Visual Basic