The History Of Computer

 Why do we have to study the history of computers?

“Those who do not learn from history
are destined to repeat it” - George Santayana
The Earliest Computing Device
Abacus - the first calculating device which was developed in China in the 12th century A.D. It has beads through
the rods bounded by square wood frame that could perform addition and subtraction by sliding the
beads through the rods. It is not fast but it can solve problems easier.
Napier’s Bones – a device made up of ivory that can obtain products and quotients of large numbers. (John Napier)
Oughtred’s Slide Rule – a device which consists of two movable rulers placed side by side and by sliding it, one can
quickly multiply and divide. (William Oughtred)
Pascaline - a calculating machine that was capable of adding and subtracting numbers containing up to eight
digits. (Blaise Pascal)
Leibniz’s Calculator – a device that could perform the four fundamental operations as well as extra square roots.
(Gottfried Leibniz)
Babbage’s Analytical Engine – Charles Babbage is considered as the father of modern computer. His ideas became
the basis for modern computational device. Analytical engine was developed to use two types of cards
–one, called operation card, indicate to specific functions to be performed and the other, called variable
cards, to specify the actual data. This idea of entering a program on set of instruction, on cards,
followed by data cards, is one method used by modern computers for implementing the stored-program
concept.
--- it is interesting to note that Lady Ada Augusta Byron worked with Babbage. She wrote a demonstration
program for the Analytical Engine, prompting many to refer to her as the world’s first programmer.
Jacquard’s Loom – the loom used information to help make cloth. The automatic loom would string the threads from
him while he pumped it. He punched holes in cards, and hooked them together to make a pattern. The
cards fed the right piece of cloth. Jacquard made an amazing piece of cloth. He made a set of cards
that worked together to weave a picture of him. (Joseph Marie Jacquard)
Hollerith’s Punch-Card Machine or Tabulating Machine – Herman Hollerith completed a set of machines to help
process the results of 1890 census. (Herman Hollerith).
Early Development in EDP
Mark 1 – Howard Aiken – It could perform the four basic arithmetic operations. It could process up to 23 digits long and
could multiply three-eight-digit numbers in one second. Its official name – ASCC (Automatic Sequence
Controlled Calculator)
ABC - Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford E. Berry- the first digital computer that worked electronically. It had the
capability of solving simultaneous equations in as many as 29 unknowns with a high degree of
accuracy. It made use of the base two or binary number systems. (Atanasoff - Berry Computer)
ENIAC -Presper Eckert Jr. and John Mauchly- It could perform 300 multiplications per second and each of its
accumulators could perform 5000 additions of ten-digit numbers in one second. (Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Calculator),
EDVAC -John von Neumann- It would employ binary arithmetic and would have stored-program concept. It is the
modified version of ENIAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)
EDSAC -Maurice Wilkes- the first stored-program machine to go into operation. A machine that had a more accurate
memory with smaller capacity (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer)
Computer Generations.- refers to the major development in EDP.
First Generation (1951-1959) -Computers of historic significance, such as UNIVAC introduced in the early 1950’s
were based on vacuum tubes. Example : ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC & IBM 650
UNIVAC – Remington Rand- the first commercial digital computer. It holds digits of information in the form of
electric current.
Second Generation (1959-1964)- Computers appearing in the early 1960’s were those in which transistors replaced
vacuum tubes. Examples : Honeywell 400 & PDP-8
Third Generation (1965-1970) – Computers, dating from 1960’s were those in which integrated circuits replaced
transistors. Example : IBM 360
Fourth Generation (1970- Present) –computers, appearing in the mid 1970’s are those such as microcomputer in
which large scale integration (LSI) enabled thousands of circuits to be incorporated on one chip.
Example : IBM PC
Fifth Generation – Computers are expected to combine very large–scale integration (VLSI) with sophisticated
approaches to computing, including artificial intelligence and true distributed processing.
Other Related Terms
Vacuum tube – electronic current flow control device consisting of a Miniaturization – the process of reducing the size and increasing the
heated cathode and an anode in a sealed glass tube with a vacuum density of transistors and other elements on a semiconductor chip.
inside it. Chip - an electronic component, often made of silicon, on which large
Transistor – short for transfer resistor. A solid-state circuit component, amounts of information can be stored.
usually with three leads, that can serve many functions, including those Artificial Intelligence – (1) the ability of computer to reason, to learn,
amplifier, switch and oscillator. to strive for self-improvement, and to simulate human sensory
Integrated Circuit – the packing of circuit elements, such as capabilities. (2) a branch of Computer Science focused on how
transistors and resistors, onto a single chip of silicon crystal or other computers can be programmed to think and reason like human beings
material.