The History of Computers

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The History of Computers

• Weve come a long way in such a short time.

Originally posted at http//www.asmilan.org/teach
ers/smoran/IB_CompSci/
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What is a computer?

• The modern definition of a computer isAn
  electronic machine that accepts information
  (called data) processes it according to specific
  instructions, and provides the results as new
  information

286 Computer
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What a Computer Was

• The term computer has been in used since 1646.
• It was originally defined as a person who
  performs calculations.
• Before 1940 machines that did calculations were
  called
• Calculators
• Tabulators
• NOT computers
• The modern definition started in the 40s.

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The Origins of Computers

• The Abacus
• Dates back to the ancient Orient
• Beads represent different values
• In used by the Greeks and Romans in 500 B.C.E.
• In this example the top frame beads are valued at
  5 and the bottom frame beads represent 1

It ruled in the world ofcalculations until the
1500s and is still considered useful today.
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Pascals Adding Machine

• Invented in 1642 by the mathematician Blaise
  Pascal
• It used sets of gears to perform calculations
• It could only perform addition
• It could not perform multiplication or division
• Only 50 ever built
• Built to help his father, a tax collector

Numbers are displayed in these windows
Dials are used to input values
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Jacquards Loom

• In 1801 Joseph Jacquard decides to make a better
  mouse trap.
• He creates a loom that can follow pattern
  instructions using a punch card.
• The significance is Programming!

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The Difference Engine

• Designed in 1822 by Charles Babbage an English
  Mathematics Professor.
• He felt that machines should be used for and were
  best at doing repetitive tasks, and that they
  could do this WITHOUT mistakes.
• The Difference Engine was supposed to be able to
  calculate Differential equations

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The Analytical Engine

• Designed by Charles Babbage
• The Analytical Engine would be powered by STEAM!
• Would use punch cards to enter instructions
• Would have MEMORY! (1,000 numbers 50 decimals
  long)
• Would be able to make DECISIONS!
• Would be able to provide OUTPUT!
• Would not be built till after his death by his
  son.

He could not have done this with out the help of
Ada Lovelace, considered by many to be the FIRST
programmer.
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The Analytical Engine
Numbers are displayed on these dials
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The Electronic Tabulation Machine

• Built by Herman Hollerith for the 1890 U.S.
  census
• Used punch card idea of Jacquard to great success
• The 1890 U.S. census data took only 6 months to
  compile.
• The 1880 census took 10 years to compile!

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The Modern Computer

• 5 generations long and still growing

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Take the Money and Run.

• In the 1969 movie spoofing prison movies Woody
  Allens character, Virgil Starkwell is asked if
  he has ever used a high speed digital computer.
  He repliesYes, my aunt has one at home.
• In 1969, that was hilarious, 30 years later,
  its very true.

This joke was stolen from Dr. Cecil E. Greek of
the FSU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
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The 5 Generations of Computers

• 1st Gen gt 1940-1956 Vacuum Tubes
• 2nd Gen gt 1956 1963 Transistors
• 3rd Gen gt 1964 1971 Integrated Circuits
• 4th Gen gt 1971 Present Microprocessors
• 5th Gen gt Present Beyond AI

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1st Generation Vacuum Tubes

• Very expensive
• Very big
• Very hot
• Used a lot of electricity
• Broke down a lot
• But boywere they cool at the time

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The Mark I

• Built in the 1930s by a joint team from IBM and
  Harvard University
• Project leader Howard Aiken
• It is not considered to be a real computer
• Length 51 feet (15.5 meters)
• Weight 5 tons

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The ENIAC

• Originally developed during Word War II
• Electronic Numerical Integration and Calculator
• consumed 160,000 Watts of electrical power
• Covered 1,800 square feet of floor space
• Contained 17,468 vacuum tubes
• 70,000 resistors
• 10,000 capacitors
• 1,500 relays
• 6,000 manual switches
• weighed 30 tons

Note
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2nd Generation The Transistor

• Cheaper than vacuum tubes
• One transistor could replace many tubes.
• They made computerssmaller and cheaper
• First appearedin a computerin 1956

3 different transistors showing how they kept
getting smaller and smaller
Size vs. time
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Computers Take Off

• At this point in time (late 50s), computers
  explode
• Mainframes are common
• Basically, things just keep getting smaller and
  faster

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First Non-binary Languages

• COBOL FORTRAN were developed to replace punch
  cards
• Programmers became a common term
• Programs could be written using words,
  sentences and mathematical formula

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3rd Generation Integrated Circuits and
Semiconductors

• Starts in the late 60s
• Transistors are miniaturized and built onto
  silicon chips called semiconductors

Circuit paths
This chip has 14,000 transistors on it
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Integrated Circuits and Semiconductors
A close up of a circuit board. This is a floppy
drive controller
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Operating Systems Mass Production

• Users could interact with 3rd Generation
  computers using keyboards and monitors.
• OSs allowed multiple programs to run at the
  same time with a central program controlling
  memory allocations
• Computers could be mass produced at affordable
  rates. Your Aunt could finally have a high speed
  digital computer at her home!

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4th Generation Birth of the Personal Computer

• Characterized by single silicon chips containing
  1000s of integrated circuits
• What used to fill an entire room now fit in the
  palm of your hand
• Intel 4004 chip is developed in 1971
• The CPU, memory and all input/output controls are
  located on the same chip

Commodore Pet
Radio Shacks Tandy
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Birth of the Home Computer

• 1981 IBM sells first computer designed for home
  user
• 1982 Commodore 64 hits the mass market
• sells for 595 US
• 17 and 22 million sold
• first computer with a sound
• 1984 Apple introduces the Macintosh
• Microprocessors begin to move away from the
  computer into other areas of everyday product

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Beyond Personal Computers

• Computers start to be networked
• GUIs are developed
• Mice become something other than a household
  pest
• Handheld computer devices are no longer limited
  only to Star Trek

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5th Generation Tomorrow

• Still in development, computer engineers are
  working toward the developing a functional
  Artificial Intelligence.
• Voice activated and controlled computers
• Parallel processing
• Quantum computing
• Natural language processing and response by
  computers

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Summary How we HAVE come a long way in a short
time

• It took approximately 2000 years before a
  significant step forward in computational
  technology occurred
• It took 248 years to go from a manual calculating
  machine (Pascals Pascaline, 1642) to an
  electronic calculating machine (Holleriths
  Tabulating Machine, 1890)

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Summary How we HAVE come a long way in a short
time

• It only took 50 years to advance to the first
  real computer
• It took approximately 20 years for the integrated
  circuit to be developed
• And in the last 30 years weve connected the
  world through computer technology

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The End
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Sources

• No research is possible without valuable
  resources. This presentation was built using the
  following
• www.criminology.fsu.edu/book/chapter1.html
• Parsons Oja, Computer Concepts 5th Ed., Course
  Technology, Thompson Learning Center
• Brookshear, Computer Science, an overview 7th
  Ed., Addison Wesley Pub.
• Webopedia, www.webopedia.com