Transcript History of Computers

History of Computers
Computer Technology
Day 2
Computer Generations: Overview
Generation
Time
Principal
Technology
Examples
Zeroth
Late 1800’s to 1940
Electro Mechanical
Punch Cards
Tabulating and
Sorting Machines
First
1940 to 1956
Vacuum Tubes
ENIAC
UNIVAC I
Second
1956 to 1963
Transistors
Mainframes
Third
Late 1960’s- 1970’s
Integrated circuit
Mainframes
Mini computers
Fourth
1971 to Present
Microprocessors
Mainframes
Mini-computers
Micro-computers
Fifth
Present and Beyond
Artificial Intelligence
In development
Zeroth Generation
Based on metal gears or mechanical relays.
 Examples
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French inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard
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Developed a loom
Controlled automatically by reading instructions from a punch
card.
American Herman Hollerith
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Regarded as the father of modern automatic computation.
Built first punched-card tabulating and sorting machine.
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Used for 1890 census
Reduced 10-year job to 3 months
Saved taxpayers five million dollars
Zeroth Generation: Illustrated
Punch Card
ABC
1st – 3rd Computer Generations: Illustrated
Vacuum
Tubes
Transistors
Integrated
Circuits
1st Generation: 1940-1956
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Used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for
memory.
Very large and expensive to operate.
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No operating system
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Took up entire rooms.
Used great deal of electricity
Used custom application programs designed specifically for the task
the computer needed to perform.
Could only solve one problem at a time.
Input came from punched cards and paper tape.
Output displayed on printouts, not a monitor.
1st Generation: Examples
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Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC), built by John
Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry at Iowa State
University during 1937-1942, considered world’s
first.
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Used punch cards for input and output.
Solved large systems of simultaneous equations (up to
29 equations with 29 unknowns).
Incorporated several major computing innovations
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Binary arithmetic
Regenerative memory
Parallel processing
Separation of memory and computing functions.
2nd Generation:1956-1963
 Transistors
replaced vacuum tubes.
 Used punched cards for input and printouts
for output.
 Ran programming language compilers.
 Programming
languages developed
 Programmers could specify instructions in
words.
 Made it possible to develop software.
 First
computers to store instructions in their
memory.
2nd Generation: Examples
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IBM 1620
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Announced October 1959
Referred to as CADET, jokingly
meaning “Can’t Add, Doesn’t
Even Try”
IBM 7090
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Designed for “large-scale
scientific and technological
applications.”
Typical system sold for
$2,900,000 or rented for
$63,500 month.
NASA used 7090s to control
the Mercury and Gemini space
flights.
3rd Generation: 1964-1971
 Integrated
Circuit developed.
 First computers that had an operating
system.
 Multi-tasking
ability (different applications could
run at the same time).
 Central program monitored memory.
 Mini-computers
developed.
 Users could interact with computers through
keyboards and monitors.
 First computer game published.
3rd Generation: Examples
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IBM 360—Mainframe
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Introduced in 1964
Took four years to develop
and cost $5 billion ($24
billion today).
One of the major business
accomplishments in U.S.
history.
The Chip that Changed the World
Video and Study Guide
Day 3
4th Generation: 1971-Present
 Intel
developed first microprocessor (MPU).
 Whole
CPU (Central Processing Unit) fit onto
one microchip.
 Intel 4004 processor contained 2300 transistors
on a chip of silicon 1/8” x 1/16” in size.
 Altair
8800 was the first commercially
available microcomputer.
 Sold
as a kit for $397 or assembled for $439.
 Used a 2 MHz Intel 8080 processor and had 256
bytes of RAM.
4th Generation: 1971-Present
 Personal
Computers (PCs) became available.
 IBM
introduced the first home computer in
1981.
 Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984.
 Microprocessors
became available in other
products.
 Led to the development of
 Networks
and the Internet
 Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
 Handheld Devices
4th Generation: Examples
 Commodore
Pet
 First
year of production: 1976
 Price at Introduction
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$595.00 (4K RAM)
$795.00 (8K RAM)
 Peripherals
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Black and Green Monitor
Dedicated Cassette
Floppy Drive
4th Generation: Examples
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HP-85B
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Features included
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Thermal printer and a tape drive
Built-in tape cartridge drive
Ability to copy anything from the HP-85's display to its printer
by touching a key.
Possible to execute subroutines from mass storage
devices
Electronic disk (an added option) made it possible to
write large programs that ran quickly.
Could purchase either 16K or 32K of user program RAM.
5th Generation: Present and Beyond
 Based
on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
 Voice
recognition is currently available.
 Parallel processing and superconductors are
helping to make it a reality.
 Goal
is to develop devices that respond to
 Natural
language input.
 Capable of learning and self-organization.