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The History of the Computer
The word "Computer" has become a very familiar word to you by now. You
can also identify a computer easily. However, it took a long time to develop the
computers which we use today. Moreover, many people have contributed to produce
this.
You have heard that the human who lived in the jungle started designing various
machines to ease his work when he started socializing himself gradually.
The Abacus
The Abacus is a simple tool which man used to ease his calculations. Many
people believe that Abacus is the foundation of the computer we use today.
The Abacus, which is supposed to be the first machine people used for
mathematical calculations, has been used over thousands of years by various nations
in the world to facilitate their mathematical calculations. Even today, the Abacus is
used for calculations not only in Asian countries such as China and Japan but also in
North America.
The basic reason for man to
discover a tool like the abacus was their urge
to do their work efficiently and accurately.
John Napier,
a Scotland national,
revealed the theory of logarithms to the
World in 1617…….
The process of multiplication of numbers can be converted into an
easy process of addition by the use of logarithms. Logarithmic tables should be used to
solve problems using logarithms. John Napier used a brilliant alternative system for
this by writing the required figures in ivory stripes. Such ivory stripes marked with
logarithmic values are called Napier’s bones.
World in 1632…….
Using John Napier's logarithmic concepts, the slide ruler was designed in
England in about 1632
Around 1642
A French mathematician called Blaise Pascal invented the adding
machine that facilitated mathematical calculations further. Additions and subtractions could
be done easily using this machine. This machine is also called the ‘Percaline’.
World in 1674…….
A German mathematician called Gottfried Wilhelm improved Pascal’s
machine further in around 1674. Consequent to this improvement, all the operations:
additions, subtractions and equally divisions and multiplications could be done. The
machine improved by Gottfried Wilhelm is called the ‘Step Reckoner’.
World in 1801…….
With industrialization,
many types of machines were
designed and a French man called
Joseph Jacquard designed a
machine called the ‘Mechanical
Loom’ to ease weaving cloth in
1801. Joseph Jacquard was able
to make various patterns on
cloths by using the cards with
punch holes.
World in 1822 to 1833
An Englishman called Charles Babbage
designed the first model required for a
mechanical computer in 1822. It was called
the ‘Difference Engine’
The basic foundation for the creation of the
'Analytical Engine' by Charles Babbage
was the Punch Card Concept in 1833.
However, he was unable to produce the
analytical engine as he wished with the
technology available at that time.
‘Father of the computer’.
When looking at the functionality of this analytical
machine, we can see that the necessary components
required for data input, storage, processing and output
had been in-built. Computers designed later were
greatly influenced by these concepts of Babbage and
that is why Babbage is considered to be the
‘Father of the computer’.
first computer programmer
A friend of Babbage called Ada Augusta Lovelace
was keen on preparing programs required for his
engine. Such programs are considered to be the first
attempt of computer programming. Hence, Ada Augusta
Lovelace is considered to
be the first computer programmer in the world.
The computer language which was used later for
military purposes was named Ada as a mark of respect for
her.
Herman Hollerith was able to carry out a
very successful population census in America in 1890
using Joseph Jacquard’s concept of punch cards. Herman
Hollerith was able to produce results of this census within
a short period since he
was keen on using the
punch card technology
correctly.
The computer manufacturing organization
IBM (International Business Machines) which is very
popular today was established under Hollerith’s
initiatives.
Howard Aiken of the Harvard University made every effort to develop Charles
Babbage’s concepts in 1937. As a result, around 1944, Howard Aiken and his friends
in IBM Corporation in Harvard were able to design a machine called ‘Automatic
Sequence Controlled Calculator’. However, this Automatic Sequence Controlled
Calculator was later named as ‘Mark I’.
Mark I machine had the capability to perform additions, subtractions,
multiplications and divisions very easily. A type writer was connected to input data
while punch cards were used for data output. There were more than 3,000
electromechanical relays in Mark I and it was about 5 tones in weight. Further, it
should be mentioned that Mark I was used for more than 15 years.
Between 1937 and 1942, the Bulgarian Professor John Vincent Atanasoff
was able to complete a computer partly with the assistance of Cliff Berry. Later
this computer was named ‘Atanasoff Berry Computer’ (ABC computer).
However, there is much controversy about the first electronic digital
computer. Some say that Prof. John Vincent Atanasoff’s ABC computer is the first
electronic digital computer. However, as this ABC computer was completed partly,
they were not able to obtain the patent license for this machine.
On account of this, ENIAC computer (Electronic Numerical Integrator And
Computer) which was produced later is considered to be the world’s first electronic
digital computer.
Around 1945 a mathematician called John Von Neumann introduced a new
concept that can be used in computers . The basic idea of this was to make the
computer capable to get different tasks performed by using its stored programs without
effecting any physical changes to the computer machine. What is being used in the
modern computers is the concept of John Von Neumann.
Computers which were designed using vacuum tubes
were called the ‘First generation computers’.
A few years later in 1950,
Remington Rand institution manufactured
UNIVAC - I (Universal Automatic Calculator - I) computer which had the capacity to
carry out about 10,000 calculations in a second.
Meanwhile in 1957, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
designed its ‘IBM 704’ computer which could carry out about 100,000 calculations
per second.
The second generation of computers
The second generation of computers starts with the invention of the transistor.
The honor of inventing the transistor goes to William Shockley, John Bardeen and
Walter Brattain of the Bell Laboratory and for this they were awarded the Nobel
prize for Physics in 1956.
Computers in the second generation were designed with smaller transistors
and these computers could perform 200,000 – 250,000 mathematical calculations
per second.
Low electrical consumption and smaller size were the key characteristics of
this second generation computers
Third generation computers
Third generation computers were designed with Integrated Circuits (ICs).
With the use of integrated circuits, the size of the computer was reduced further
while achieving higher efficiency. Integrated circuits used in the earlier stage consisted
of a few transistors and the technology was called SSI (Small Scale Integration). The
next generation of integrated circuits were designed by developing these circuits further
with more transistors. Those are called MSI (Medium Scale Integration), LSI (Large
Scale Integration), VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), and ULSI (Ultra Large Scale
Integration) respectively.
Fourth generation of the computer
Micro-chips which were designed with the development of the technology
represent the fourth generation of the computer. These microchips are called
microprocessors too.
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