The History of the Computer
"This reminds me of a revelation I had a few years ago, after getting my first CD-ROM drive. I'd manage to misplace a CD containing a multimedia encyclopedia and eventually found it sitting on the floor under my desk. I realised then that never before in human history had it been possible to lose an entire 28 volume encyclopedia by dropping it behind a piece of furniture. Now that's what I call progress!" (Computer Quotes) The information age is marked by the widespread use of the personal computer. Beginning with Ed Roberts’ first computer through to the development of the world’s fastest computer in Japan, the use of the personal computer has revolutionized our country, and in fact, our world.
Although Roberts created the first computer, there were many stepping stones that led up to its conception. For instance, he negotiated with Intel to use their silicon chips. These chips were an uprising in their own creation. Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore created them. This in turn was modified to become a single-chip microprocessor. This was very important because it could be programmed, and memory could be added onto it. Thus, using Intel’s chip as a foundation, Roberts created the first computer, the Altair 8800. His company, Model Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS), marketed these machines as a last hope strategy to decrease debt within the company. Little did they know that the demand for the Altair 8800 would never die down, nor that it was a great rise in modern technology.
Because of the rise in interest in computers, there formed a group, Homebrew Computer Club, which discussed how to build computers. One of its members, Steve Wozniak, soon created another version of a computer, the Apple I. Other computers also built around 1977 were the IMSAI 8080, built by IMSAI, Radio Shack’s TRS-80, and the most advanced thus far that year, the Commodore PET. This machine, contrived by Commodore, had a monitor, keyboard, and cassette player, as opposed to antecedent devices, which had switchboards and lights to indicate signals. Apple soon was influenced by this computer, and decided to make their next computer, the Apple II, a more consumer-friendly machine, in 1979. Thus, it was enclosed in a plastic casing and came with a video monitor, keyboard, cassette interface (which stored data), and game paddles. It was also capable of having stored programs, or installing programs onto it.
Apple began on April 1 , 1976 and it was incorporated in 1977. The first apple computer which was called Apple I was invented by Steven Wozniak. In 1984 Apple next launched the Macintosh. Then a few months after they launched the Macintosh was launched they introduced the LaserWriter it was the first post script laser printer that was sold at a price that was affordable. In the 1990’s Apple decided to get together with IBM and Motorola. Their goal was to create a new computing platform for their company .
In the garage of a neighbor Steve Wozniak created what would be called the cream soda computer. Named that after all the cream soda he drank while building it. While building it he met a man named Steve Jobs. Although the computer went up in smoke during a test the basic groundwork was laid for a machine that would change the world was set and a friendship that would turn into a new industry. After the introduction of the Altair an organization sprang up of hobbyist and amateurs. It was the Homebrew Computer Club and of course Steve Wozniak went to the meetings and rarely if ever missed one of them. It seemed the Altair used a costly microprocessor, the Intel 8080, to do its thinking. Since Woz couldn't afford the 179 dollars per chip he jumped at the offer Hewlett Packard offered its employees.
Now on to the history of the microcomputer. The first commercially available personal computer was the Scelbi-8H that went on sale in March 1974. The machine was designed around the Intel 8008 microprocessor, a less powerful 8-bit design than the later 8080. A machine in kit form with 1K of memory sold for $440.00. About 200 of these machines were sold in kit form and assembled. Half were the Scelbi-8H hobby machines, the rest were Scelbi-8B business computers, which were released in April 1975, having as much as 16K of memory.
Computer engineering, in short, is the study of the applications and advancement of computer systems. Research in this field includes but is not limited to: making technology more accessible, developing new systems that are faster and more efficient, programming software to work better with existing hardware, and using technology to improve the lives of its users.
On October 22nd, 2014, the machine sold for $905,000. This was Apple's first major succession. The Apple II was designed in 1977 once again by Steve Wozniak. This is the machine that inspired most everything you use today from modern cell phones to desktop computers. The Apple II was a self contained unit with built in keyboard, power supply and permanent memory which was a major stepping stone in technology at the time.
"Technology is like fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes." (1) Since the dawn of computers, there has always been a want for a faster, better technology. These needs can be provided for quickly, but become obsolete even quicker. In 1981, the first "true portable computer", the Osborne 1 was introduced by the Osborne Computer Corporation. (2) This computer revolutionized the way that computers were used and introduced a brand new working opportunity.
The history of computers initially started with humans using tools like pebbles and notches in sticks to count objects. The human aspect of computers is that they wanted a way to do calculations, which includes adding and multiplying multiple numbers. The manual calculator was one of beginning stages of computer history, even though humans were the ones who had to perform the calculations. The manual computer had the abacus, which was a frame that contains beads mounted on rods. This technology was used in Rome, Greece, India, China, and Japan.
The original computer was nothing like it is known now. It was a simple device known as an abacus, a mathematic tool that may have been invented in the fourth century BC by the Babylonians (PBS). Before a new computer could be created, a few things had to happen.
In 1953 it was estimated that there were 100 computers in the world. Computers built between 1959 and 1964 are often regarded as the "second generation" computers, based on transistors and printed circuits - resulting in much smaller computers. 1964 the programming language PL/1 released by IBM. 1964 the launch of IBM 360. These first series of compatible computers. In 1970 Intel introduced the first RAM chip. In 1975 IBM 5100 was released. In 1976 the Apple Computer Inc. was founded, to market Apple I Computer. Designed to Stephen Wozinak and Stephan Jobs. In 1979 the first compact disk was released around 1981 IBM announced PC, the standard model was sold for $2,880.00.
Computers are indeed approaching the status of the core operator of every electronic device or utility in the world today. Their “logic” and process can produce results millions of times faster than that of the human brain. They are at the helm of everything from an old walk man to the systems that keep the Earth’s continents in constant communications. They’ll likely soon be the basis of communications between other civilizations in outer space. When the computer was first introduced, it was simply a device of convenience for use of the masses or huge corporations and universities. The incredible machines have now grown so much since their introduction, that the World’s economy desperately depends on them to function. But computers have not always been so royal. The first machine to be classified as a computer used no circuitry of any kind, but was consistent entirely of gears and rods that made simple calculations in mathematics. As computers progressed in complexity and became more modern, society utilized them in nearly every way possible. They now are incorporated into every aspect of human life, especially for recreation and general home usage. It remains second in complexity only to that of the human brain. And yet it they still progress towards perfection.
The History of Computers From primitive abaci to lab tops and calculators, the computer has evolved through time to become the essential part of our technocratic society. The development of the computer has shaped the way technology and science is viewed in different cultures around the world. The connotation of what a computer is nowadays brings to mind a monitor, keyboard, processor and its other electronic components; however, that is not how things have always been. From the Chinese using abaci to count, to the Druids' usage of stones to follow the seasonal changes, to the Europeans using Pascalines and calculators to work out mathematical problems, the concept of the computer has been around for hundreds of years (Hoyle). Therefore, the history of computers is important to observe not only for the influence it brought to our culture, but the progress it has made through time.
Computer has been an important gadget in many peoples life. Computers come in various design, size and types. For example, there are computers that needs to be placed on the desk or on a flat surface like the desktop computer and the laptops. Where else we have the computers that can be carried along with us like the mobile phones and tablets. Computers are so important that it is used to communicate by billions of people. For example people use computer for far distance communication like sending emails to friend and workmates or talking to family members at any time without restriction and this is really convenient. Computers are also used for working purpose like the consumer using it for business, employees to employers as well as customers. (Gary B.Shelly 2011). Computers are also used for education in schools, library, and at homes as well by students, adults and kids. Computer is a very helpful medium to learn knowledge and information. In this 21st century, nothing works without the basic knowledge in computer for example a small shop uses computer to keep the records of thing that they have sold and even a road site food stall uses the calculator which is also a computer to count the price. Compare to the past era children used to play out door games but in recent era children prefer to play indoor with their computers. Today I will be writing about the modern history of computing since it is really important to know the history of computer.
Thousands of years ago calculations were done using people’s fingers and pebbles that were found just lying around. Technology has transformed so much that today the most complicated computations are done within seconds. Human dependency on computers is increasing everyday. Just think how hard it would be to live a week without a computer. We owe the advancements of computers and other such electronic devices to the intelligence of men of the past.
The fist computer, known as the abacus, was made of wood and parallel wires on which beads were strung. Arithmetic operations were performed when the beads were moved along the wire according to “programming” rules that had to be memorized by the user (Soma, 14). The second earliest computer, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1694, was a “digital calculating machine.” Pascal designed this first known digital computer to help his father, who was a tax collector. Pascal’s computer could only add numbers, and they had to be entered by turning dials (Soma, 32). It required a manual process like its ancestor, the abacus. Automation was introduced in the early 1800’s by a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage. He created an automatic calculation machine that was steam powered and stored up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Unlike its two earliest ancestors, Babbage’s invention was able to perform various operations. It relied on cards with holes punched in them, which are called “punch cards.” These cards carried out the programming and storing operations for the machine. Unluckily, Babbage’s creation flopped due to the lack of mechanical precision and the lack of demand for the product (Soma, 46). The machine could not operate efficiently because technology was t adequate to make the machine operate efficiently Computer interest dwindled for many years, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people became interested in them once again.
The First Generation of Computers The first generation of computers, beginning around the end of World War 2, and continuing until around the year 1957, included computers that used vacuum tubes, drum memories, and programming in machine code. Computers at that time where mammoth machines that did not have the power our present day desktop microcomputers. In 1950, the first real-time, interactive computer was completed by a design team at MIT. The "Whirlwind Computer," as it was called, was a revamped U.S. Navy project for developing an aircraft simulator.