Chapter 1

History of Computers

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History of Computers

Topics
1. Definition of
computer
2. Earliest computer
3. Computer History
4. Computer
Generations

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History of Computers
Definition of Computer
• Computer is a programmable machine.
• Computer is a machine that
manipulates data according to a list of
instructions.
• Computer is any device which aids
humans in performing various kinds of
computations or calculations.

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History of Computers
Definition of Computer
Three principles characteristic of computer:
• It responds to a specific set of instructions in
a well- defined manner.
• It can execute a pre-recorded list of
instructions.
• It can quickly store and retrieve large
amounts of data.

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History of Computers
Earliest Computer
• Originally calculations were computed by
humans,
whose job title was computers.
• These human computers were typically engaged
in the calculation of a mathematical
expression.
• The calculations of this period were specialized
and expensive, requiring years of training in
mathematics.
• The first use of the word "computer" was
recorded in 1613, referring to a person who
carried out calculations, or computations, and
the word continued to be used in that sense
until the middle of the 20th century.
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History of Computers
Tally Sticks
A tally stick was an ancient memory aid
device to record and document numbers,
quantities, or even messages.

Tally
sticks

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History of Computers
Abacus
• An abacus is a mechanical device used to aid
an
individual in performing mathematical
calculations.
• The abacus was invented in Babylonia in
2400 B.C.
• The abacus in the form we are most familiar
with
was first used in China in around 500 B.C.
• It used to perform basic arithmetic
operations.

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CSCA0101 Computing Basics
History of Computers

Abacus

Earlier Modern
Abacus Abacus

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History of Computers

Napier’s Bones
• Invented by John Napier
in
1614.
• Allowed the operator to
multiply, divide and
calculate square and cube John Napier

roots by moving the rods

around and placing them
in specially constructed
boards.

Napier’s Bones

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History of Computers
Slide Rule
• Invented by William
Oughtred
in 1622.
• Is based on Napier's
ideas about
–logarithms.
multiplication William Oughtred
• Used primarily for
– division
– roots
– logarithms
– Trigonometry
• Not normally used for
addition Slide Rule
or subtraction.
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History of Computers

Pascaline
• Invented by Blaise Pascal
in
1642.
• It was its limitation to
addition and subtraction.
Blaise Pascal
• It is too expensive.

Pascaline

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History of Computers
Stepped Reckoner
• Invented by Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz in
1672.
• The machine that can
add, subtract, multiply
and divide Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz
automatically.

Stepped
Reckoner
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History of Computers

Jacquard Loom
• The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom,
invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881.
• It an automatic loom controlled by punched
cards.

Joseph-Marie Jacquard
Jacquard Loom
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History of Computers

Arithmometer
• A mechanical calculator
invented
by Thomas de Colmar in
1820,
• The first reliable, useful
and commercially Thomas de
Colmar
successful calculating
machine.
• The machine could perform
the four basic mathematic
functions.
Arithmomet
• The first mass- er
produced calculating 14
History of Computers
Difference Engine and Analytical Engine
• It an automatic, mechanical calculator
designed to
tabulate polynomial functions.
• Invented by Charles Babbage in 1822 and
1834
• It is the first mechanical computer.

Differenc Analytic
Charles e al
Babbage Engine Engine

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History of Computers

First Computer Programmer

• In 1840, Augusta Ada Byron
suggests to Babbage that he
use the binary system.
• She writes programs for the
Analytical Engine.

Augusta Ada
Byron

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History of Computers

Scheutzian Calculation
Engine
• Invented by Per Georg Scheutz
in
1843.
• Based on Charles
Babbage's difference Per Georg
engine. Scheutz

• The first printing

calculator.

Scheutzian Calculation
Engine
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History of Computers

Tabulating Machine
• Invented by
Herman
Hollerith in 1890.
• To assist in summarizing
information and Herman
accounting. Hollerith

Tabulating
Machine
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History of Computers
Havard Mark 1
• Also known as IBM
Automatic Sequence
Controlled Calculator
(ASCC).
• Invented by Howard H. Howard H.
Aiken
Aiken in
1943
• The first electro-
mechanical computer.

Mark
1
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History of Computers

Z1
• The first programmable
computer.
• Created by Konrad Zuse
in Germany from 1936 to
1938.
Konrad
• To program the Z1 required Zuse
that the user insert punch
tape into a punch tape
reader and all output was
also generated through
punch tape. Z
1

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History of Computers

Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)

• It was the first electronic digital computing
device.
• Invented by Professor John Atanasoff
and graduate student Clifford Berry at
Iowa State University between 1939
and 1942.

Professor John Atanasoff-Berry

Atanasoff Computer

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History of Computers

ENIAC
• ENIAC stands for
Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer.
• It was the first electronic
general-
purpose computer.
• Completed in 1946.
• Developed by John
Presper ENIAC
Eckert and John W.
Mauchl.

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History of Computers

UNIVAC 1
• The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic
Computer 1)
was the first commercial computer.
• Designed by J. Presper Eckert and
John Mauchly.

UNIVAC
1
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History of Computers

EDVAC
• EDVAC stands for
Electronic Discrete
Variable Automatic
Computer
• The First Stored Program
Computer
• Designed by Von EDVA
Neumann in 1952. C

• It has a memory to hold

both a
stored program as well as
data.
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History of Computers

The First Portable Computer

• Osborne 1 – the first portable
computer.
• Released in 1981 by the Osborne
Computer Corporation.

Osborne
1

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History of Computers

The First Computer Company

• The first computer company was the
Electronic
Controls Company.
• Founded in 1949 by J. Presper Eckert and
John Mauchly.

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History of Computers

Computer Generations
There are five generations of
computer:

• First generation – 1946 - 1958

• Second generation – 1959 -
1964
• Third generation – 1965 - 1970
• Fourth generation – 1971 - today
• Fifth generation – Today to
future

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History of Computers
The First Generation
• The first computers used
vacuum tubes for circuitry and
magnetic drums for memory,
and were often enormous,
taking up entire rooms.
• They were very expensive to
operate and in addition to using
a great deal of electricity,
generated a lot of heat, which
was often the cause of Vacuum
tube
malfunctions.

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History of Computers
The First Generation
• First generation computers relied on
machine language, the lowest-level
programming language understood by
computers, to perform operations, and
they could only solve one problem at a
time.
• Input was based on punched cards and
paper tape, and output was displayed on
printouts.

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History of Computers
The Second Generation
• Transistors replaced vacuum
tubes and ushered in the second
generation of computers.
• One transistor replaced the
equivalent of 40 vacuum
tubes.
• Allowing computers to
become smaller, faster,
cheaper, more energy- Transist
efficient and more reliable. or
• Still generated a great deal of
heat that can damage the
computer.
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History of Computers
The Second Generation
• Second-generation computers moved from
cryptic binary machine language to
symbolic, or assembly, languages, which
allowed programmers to specify instructions
in words.
• Second-generation computers still relied on
punched
cards for input and printouts for output.
• These were also the first computers that
stored their instructions in their memory,
which moved from a magnetic drum to
magnetic core technology.

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History of Computers
The Third Generation
• The development of the
integrated circuit was the
hallmark of the third
generation of computers.
• Transistors were miniaturized
and placed on silicon chips,
called semiconductors, which
drastically increased the speed
and efficiency of computers. Integrated
• Much smaller and cheaper Circuit

compare to the second

generation computers.
• It could carry out
instructions in billionths of
a second. 32
History of Computers

The Third Generation

• Users interacted with third generation
computers through keyboards and monitors
and interfaced with an operating system,
which allowed the device to run many
different applications at one time with a
central program that monitored the memory.
• Computers for the first time became
accessible to a mass audience because they
were smaller and cheaper than their
predecessors.

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History of Computers
The Fourth Generation
• The microprocessor brought
the fourth generation of
computers, as thousands of
integrated circuits were built
onto a single silicon chip.
• As these small computers
became more powerful, they
could be linked together to
form networks, which Microprocess
or
eventually led to the
development of the Internet.
• Fourth generation computers
also saw the development of
GUIs, the mouse and
handheld devices. 34
History of Computers

The Fifth Generation

• Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Still in development.
• The use of parallel processing and
superconductors is helping to make artificial
intelligence a reality.
• The goal is to develop devices that respond
to natural language input and are capable
of learning and self-organization.
• There are some applications, such as
voice recognition, that are being
used today.

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