Transcript Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief

Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
Every computer in use today follows the basic plan laid out by 
Babbage and Lady Lovelace
The computer is an incredibly versatile tool
Can compute your taxes or deploy a missile
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
All computers take in information (data) called input and give 
out information called output
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
The computer's versatility is built upon its:
Hardware: The physical part
Software: The instructions that tells hardware how to 
transform the input data (information in a form it can
read) into the necessary output
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
The First Real Computers:
1939: German engineer Konrad 
Zuse completed the first
programmable, general-purpose
digital computer
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Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
At about the same time, the British government was assembling 
a top-secret team of mathematicians and engineers to crack
Nazi military codes
1943: The team, led by mathematician Alan Turing and others, 
completed Colossus, considered by many to be the first electronic
digital computer
This special-purpose computer successfully broke secret codes used by 
the Nazi.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
1939: Iowa State University 
professor John Atanasoff developed
what could have been the first
electronic digital computer, the
Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)
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Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
1944: Thanks to a one million dollar grant from IBM, 
Harvard professor Howard Aiken developed the Mark I
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert helped the U.S. effort in World War II by 
constructing a machine to calculate trajectory tables for new guns
called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
After the war, Mauchly and Eckert started a private company called Sperry 
and created UNIVAC I, the first general-purpose commercial computer
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
Evolution and Acceleration
First computers were big, expensive.
Vacuum tubes were used in early computers
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes starting in 1956
By the mid-1960s transistors were replaced by integrated circuits
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
Integrated circuits brought:
Increased reliability
Smaller size 
Higher speed
Higher efficiency 
Lower cost
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea
(continued)
The Microcomputer Revolution
1971: The first microprocessor was invented 
by Intel engineers
The microcomputer revolution began in 1970: 
Apple
Commodore
Tandy
Desktop computers haven’t completely replaced big computers, which have 
also evolved
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Mainframes and Supercomputers
Mainframes
Used by large organizations, such as banks and airlines, for big computing jobs
Users communicate with a mainframe using a computer terminal: a combination 
keyboard and screen that transfer information to and from the computer.
The computer might be in another room or even in another country.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Mainframes and Supercomputers
Mainframes
communicate with several users simultaneously through a technique called 
Timesharing
ex. A timesharing system allows travel agents all over the country to make 
reservations using the same computer and the same flight information at the
same time.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Supercomputers
For power users who need access to the fastest, most powerful computers made 
these super-fast, super powerful computers are called Supercomputers
weather forecasting, oil exploration, telephone network design, simulation car 
crash testing, .
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Servers, Workstations, and PCs
Servers
Computers designed to provide software and other resources to other computers 
over a network
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Workstations
High-end desktop computers with massive computing power used for 
high-end interactive applications
Are widely used by scientists, engineers, financial analysts, 
designers,…. Whose work involves intensive computations.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
PCs: Serve a single user at a time
Common applications include:
word processing, accounting, gaming, 
and enjoying digital music and video
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Portable Computers: Machines that are not tied to the desktop 
Notebooks (laptops)
Sub notebooks : extra-light , ultra mobile notebooks
laptops can be expanded with docking stations: a device for expanding 
a laptop computer so that it has the power and flexibility of a desktop, so
it enables a user to connect the laptop to an external monitor, keyboard,
mouse, disk drives.
Handheld computers (personal digital assistants (PDAs)
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
docking stations:
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Embedded Computers
Special-purpose computer: Dedicated computers that perform specific 
tasks
Controlling the temperature and humidity in a room
Monitoring your heart rate 
Monitoring your house security system
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
Embedded computers enhance all kinds of •
consumer goods: toys, games, digital
video recorders (DVRs), and ovens.
More than 90% of the world’s •
microprocessors are hidden inside
common household and electronic
devices.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution
The Emergence of 
Networks
Local-Area Networks 
(LANs): computers are
physically close to each
other, usually in the same
building, so they could
share resources, such as
storage, printers.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Connections: The Internet
Revolution
Wide-Area Networks (WANs) 
extends over a long distance.
a remote computer could 
connect to a network through
standard telephone lines by
using a modem, or using
wireless connections.
a modem is an electronic 
device that could translate
computer data into signals
compatible with the
telephone system.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution
(continued)
The experimental network built in 1969, called ARPANET, would become the 
Internet-the global collection of networks linking academic, research, government, and
commercial institutions, and other organizations and individuals.
The Internet Explosion 
Electronic mail
E-mail software made it easy to send messages across the office or around 
the world
World Wide Web 
Led the Internet’s transformation from a text-only environment into a 
multimedia landscape incorporating pictures, animation, sounds, and video
people connect to the web each day through Web browsers:
Programs that, in effect, serve as navigable windows into the Web 
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution
Hypertext links on web pages
Tie together millions of Web pages created by diverse authors
Intranets 
Private intra-organizational networks based on Internet technology 
enable people to transmit, share, and store information within an
organization.
Network computers (NC)
Stripped-down computers designed to function mainly as network 
terminals .
NCs are designed to send and receive information.
they cost less than PCs.
Set-top boxes 
Provide Internet access through television sets 
Ex. Modern video game consoles, such as Sony play station 2
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Acorn's Concord network computer
(NC
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Into the Information Age
In the history of our society we have had: 
An agricultural age 
humanity lived mainly by domesticating animals and growing food
using plows and other agricultural tools.
An industrial age 
characterized by the shift from farms to factories, caused by advances
in machine technology.
Now we are in a new age, the information age: 
More and more people earn their livings working with words,
numbers, and ideas
Shift from an industrial economy to an information economy.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
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Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Living with Computers
(continued)
Explanations: Clarifying Technology
Computer literacy (the ability to use 
computers) is already improving our day-today life and careers
Applications: Computers in Action
Application program: software tools that 
enable you to use a computer for specific
purposes.
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Living with Computers (continued)
Implications: Social and Ethical Issues
The threat to personal privacy posed by large databases and 
computer networks
The hazards of high-tech crime and the difficulty of keeping 
data secure
The difficulty of defining and protecting intellectual 
property in an all-digital age
The risks of computer system failure 
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Living with Computers (continued)
The threat of automation and the dehumanization of work 
The abuse of information as a tool of political and economic power 
The dangers of dependence on complex technology 
The death of privacy 
The blurring of reality 
The evolution of intelligence
The emergence of bio-digital technology
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Inventing the Future
Hardware: the base of any new project 
Software: the next step, which gives value to the hardware 
Service: the most successful current business approach 
Way of life: computers tend to become part of our way of life 
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Lesson Summary
Computers have evolved at an incredible pace since 
Charles Babbage’s plan for an Analytical Engine
Computers today come in all shapes and sizes, with 
specific types being well suited for particular jobs
Connecting to a network enhances the value and power 
of a computer:
Internet 
WWW 
E-mail 
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Computer Confluence 7/e
Chapter 1
Lesson Summary (continued)
Computers and information technology 
have changed the world rapidly and
irreversibly
Emerging technologies, such as artificial 
intelligence, offer promise for future
applications
Computers also threaten our privacy, our 
security, and perhaps our way of life
© 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.