History, Generations and Applications of computer

History of Computers
Abacus Abacus was the oldest known computation tool used by mankind. This device allows users to make computation using a system of sliding beads arranged on a rack. Pascaline Blaise Pascal invented first mechanical calculator known by name Pascaline. The drawback of Pascaline was its limitation to addition Further Leibniz modified Pascaline to accomplish multiplication. Difference Engine Charles Babbage developed machine to perform differential equations called as Difference Engine which could perform calculations and could print automatically Analytical Engine After working on difference engine for 10 years, Charles Babbage was suddenly inspired to begin work on the first general purpose computer, which he called Analytical Engine. This engine outlined the basic elements of a modern general purpose computer. Therefore Charles Babbage is known as Father of computer. Babbage borrowed the idea of punch cards from Jacquard loom.
(The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth.)

The loom is invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard. Herman Hollerith used punch cards to store data or information which he fed into a machine that compiled the results mechanically. In 1896, He started a company called The Tabulating Machine Company which later combined with other companies called International Business Machines (IBM).

Generation of computers
First Generation(1945-1956)
Computers of First generation Mark-I : This machine was designed by Howard H Aiken, en engineer working with IBM, succeeded in producing an all-electronic calculator by 1944. Page 1

History, Generations and Applications of computer ENIAC: It stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. It consists of 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 5 million soldiered joints. ENIAC was developed by John Presper Eckert and John Von Mauckly. The concept of stored program was contributed by John Von Neumann. He designed the computer with memory to hold program and data. EDVAC: Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer. UNIVAC: In 1951, the first commercial computer was designed by Remington Rand called UNIVAC(UNIVersal Automatic Computer). Important Features of First Generation: Vacuum Tubes are used as electronic component. Magnetic drums are used for memory. Punched cards are used for input and output. Low level languages for programming were used. Processing speed was very less. It did not have much memory. The system was not very powerful. The system was huge and non portable.

Second Generation(1956-1963)
Important Features of Second generation: Transistors are used as electronic component. Smaller in size and more powerful than first generation computer. Magnetic core for main memory was used. Magnetic tapes and magnetic disks were used for secondary memory. High level languages (COBOL and FORTRAN) were used for developing programs. Processing speed was higher than the first generation computers. It had more memory.

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History, Generations and Applications of computer

Third Generation Computers(1964-1971)

Jack Kilby , an engineer with Texas instruments developed the Integrated Circuit(IC) . The IC combined three components onto a small chip which was made from quartz. Later scientists managed to fit even more components on a single chip called a semiconductor. Important Features of Third generation: Integrated Circuits(IC) are used as electronic component. Minicomputers were introduced. Saw the emergence of software industry. Maintenance cost reduced as hardware failure was rare. Systems were totally general purpose and could be used for a number of commercial applications. The systems were faster, more powerful, more reliable, cheaper, and smaller in overall size and had more memory.

Fourth Generation(1971 Present)

After the Integrated Circuits, LSI (Large Scale Integration) could fit hundreds of components onto one chip. By the 1980s Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) squeezed hundreds of thousands of components onto a chip. Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) increased the number into the millions. The First microprocessor Intel 4004 chip developed in 1971. Important features of fourth generation LSI and VLSI are used as electronic components. Introduction to microprocessors Microcomputers and Personal computers are available to the common man. Use of chips for memory. The cost of assembling reduced to great extent. Easily portable. Hardware failures were negligible. The systems were faster, more powerful, cheaper and had more memory than the previous generations. Page 3

History, Generations and Applications of computer

Fifth Generation(Present and Beyond)

Important features of fifth generation Development of storage technology. Advancement in network technology Systems are more reliable, faster and cheaper. Development of supercomputers. Concept of parallel processing in computers. Development of robots to assist human beings. Computers are more intelligent

Application of computers
Application of Computers can be broadly classified as follows Business (commercial) Communication Entertainment and Multimedia Science and Engineering Education and Industries

Applications of computer in Business Trading of stocks and shares can be done in real time using computers. E-commerce solely depends on computers Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) can give access to the bank account from convenient location at any time of the day. Computerized commercial applications are used in payroll, inventory, desktop publishing etc. Management information systems are widely used to help managers in decision making. Home shopping and internet banking are growing areas of computing

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History, Generations and Applications of computer Applications of computer in Entertainment and Multimedia Several games have been played on personal computers. Computers are widely used to create special effects on movies Music software allows you to edit recorded music or even create your own. Used in animation Computers play a growing role in dance, photography, painting and many other arts. Applications of computer in Science and Engineering Supercomputers have numerous applications in weather forecasting, space research etc. Satellites are commonly used in information technology. Used in astronomy. We can get reference material for science and engineering from internet. Physicians use computers to understand human body and diagnose disorders. Virtual reality: it will allow visiting other worlds and feeling as if you were really there. Encyclopedia information, movies and animations are available in CDs. Applications of computer in Education Computers have been used in schools to since the first apples were introduced in the 1970s. They are used to teach students about computers in courses such as computer programming. Computers help in creating timetable. They can assist in monitoring and scheduling teaching resources. Students are able to research their assignments without leaving their homes. Education software has become major influence at all levels from elementary school to universities. Applications of computer in Industries In industries products are designed with Computer Aided Design (CAD) and computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). Computers are widely used to run robots. Used in building designs and blue-prints. Companies are using computer based training (CBT) to train people on procedures and techniques they need to know in their jobs.

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