The History of Computers

I put this together for my computer class from material I found all over the web. It's different from most of the computer history I find Hope you like it

Definition of a Computer
Simplest definition of a computer: A device that processes input and generates output

Key words:

• Input
• Output
• Processes
• Information

Modern Computers are electronic, complex, and interactive, but can be reduced to simple input-output processing devices

History of Computers: 3000 BC to Present History of Computers - Long, Long Ago The Abacus beads on rods to count and calculate still widely used in Asia! http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~elf/abacus/

From Tiggerr:  I just bought one of these off Ebay.  They are fun

History of Computers - Way Back When The Slide Rule 1630 based on Napier’s rules for logarithms used until 1970s Got one of these too, but I'll be hanged if I can figure out how to use it

History of Computers - 19th Century Jacquard Loom used metal cards with punched holes to guide weaving process first stored program - metal cards first computer manufacturing still in use today!

Charles Babbage - 1792-1871 Difference Engine c.1822 huge calculator, never finished Analytical Engine 1833 could store numbers calculating "mill" used punched metal cards for instructions powered by steam! accurate to six decimal places

Ada Augusta - First Programmer

• Worked with Charles Babbage
• Programmed Analytical Engine

Vacuum Tubes - 1930 - 1950s First Generation Electronic Computers used Vacuum Tubes Vacuum tubes are glass tubes with circuits inside. Vacuum tubes have no air inside of them, which protects the circuitry.
UNIVAC - 1951 First commercially available computer sold to censu bureau "a big pocket calculator" until 1970 was standard computer, but very expensive http://www.letsfindout.com/subjects/space/univac.html
Grace Hopper	Programmed UNIVAC Recipient of Computer Science’s first "Man of the Year Award" http://www.ce.vt.edu/evd/Htmls/P375994.html
First Computer Bug - 1945 Relay cards carried information Grace Hopper found an actual moth stuck to card responsible for a malfunction Called it "debugging" a computer Didn't want you to miss this
First Transistor Uses Silicon developed in 1948 won a Nobel prize on-off switch Second Generation Computers used Transistors, starting in 1956

Integrated Circuits   Third Generation Computers used Integrated Circuits (chips). Integrated Circuits are transistors, resistors, and capacitors integrated together into a single “chip”

The First Microprocessor - 1971
 

• The Intel 4004 had 2,250 transistors
• four-bit chunks (four 1’s or 0’s)
• 108Khz
• 0.6 Mips (million instructions/sec)
• Pentium 133 - 300 Mips
• Called "Microchip"

Generations of Electronic Computers

Over the past 50 years, the Electronic Computer has evolved rapidly.

• Using the following advancements, draw an "evolutionary chart" of how computers evolved:
• vacuum tube
• integrated circuit
• transistor
• microchip

IBM PC - 1981

• IBM-Intel-Microsoft joint venture
• First wide-selling personal computer used in business
• 8088 Microchip - 29,000 transistors
• 4.77 Mhz processing speed
• 256 K RAM (Random Access Memory) standard
• One or two floppy disk drives

  I had one of these below  (actually a clone) called a Franklin

Apple Computers

• Founded 1977
• Apple II released 1977  - widely used in schools
• Macintosh - released in 1984, Motorola 68000 Microchip processor (below)
• Macintosh is first commercial computer with graphical user interface (GUI) and pointing device (mouse)

(Note) The executives at IBM were convinced that the public would never want a personal computer.  This made it easy for both Microsoft and Apple to enter the field.  Apple's ease of use made it popular in schools and the early computers were bought by parents for their children Since IBM and Microsoft marketed to the business, later computers purchased by parents were "IBM clones" that were compatible with Microsoft products.  Adults wanted to be able to have the same systems they had at work in their homes

1990s: Pentiums and Power Macs I have one of these too

• As the early 1990s began We saw computers on every office desk, and most homes, etc.
• As computers became less expensive and faster it became more attractive to own one
• Windows 95 was first decent GUI for "PCs"
• Macs became more PC compatible
• Prices have continued to plummet