TIHE Basic Computer Skills
Lecture 1-2: Computer History
History of Computers
• Instructing an electronic device (Computer) to
perform some task of yours, you need to have
some understanding of these two things :
- the history
- the components and how they coordinate
with each other.
History of Computers
• Many discoveries and inventions have directly
and indirectly contributed to the development
of the personal computer (PC)
• The first computer of any kind were simple
calculators. Even these evolved from
mechanical devices to electronic digital
devices.
Timeline
• Timeline of some significant events in
computer history.
1617
• 1617John Napier creates
“Napia’s Bones” wooden or
ivory rods used for calculating.
John Napier (1550–April 4, 1617) was a
Scottish mathematician and astrologer. He
is most remembered as the inventor of
natural logarithms, of Napier's bones or
Napier's rods and for popularizing the
decimal point. He was born in Merchiston
Tower, Edinburgh. Although he did not
invent the natural logarithm function, it is
sometimes known as the Napierian
Logarithm.
1642
• 1642 Blaise Pascal introduces the Pascaline
digital adding machine.
• Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662) was a French
mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. Important
contributions by Pascal to the natural and applied sciences
include the construction of mechanical calculators, the study of
fluids, and clarification of concepts such as pressure and vacuum.
Pascal also did groundwork in projective geometry and in
probability theory, which has major ramifications in economics
and the social sciences.
Most of these contributions were made early in his life, as
following a mystical experience in 1654, he fell away from
mathematics and physics and devoted himself to reflection and
writing about philosophy and theology. This period was
characterized by the composition of his two most famous works,
the Lettres provinciales and the Pensées. Pascal suffered from illhealth throughout his life and died two months after his 39th
birthday.
1822
• Charles Babbage conceives the Difference
Engine and later the Analytical Engine, a
electronic computers
• Charles Babbage (December 26, 1791 – October 18,
1871) was an English mathematician, analytical
philosopher and (proto-) computer scientist who
originated the idea of a programmable computer.
Parts of his uncompleted mechanisms are on display
in the London Science Museum. In 1991, working
from Babbage's original plans, a difference engine
was completed, and functioned perfectly. It was
built to tolerances achievable in the 19th century,
indicating that Babbage's machine would have
worked.
Born December 26, 1791
in Teignmouth,
Devonshire UK, Died
1871, London; Known to
some as the "Father of
Computing" for his
contributions to the basic
design of the computer
through his Analytical
machine. His previous
Difference Engine was a
special purpose device
intended for the
production of tables.
1906
•
Le De Forest patents the vacuum tube
triode, used as an electronic switch in the
first electronic computers
Lee De Forest, (August 26, 1873 - June 30, 1961), was an
American inventor with over 300 patents to his name. De
Forest invented the Audion, a vacuum tube that takes
relatively weak electrical signals and amplifies them. De Forest
is one of the fathers of the "electronic age," as the Audion
helped to usher in the widespread use of electronics.
He was involved in several patent lawsuits (and he spent a
fortune from his inventions on legal bills). He had four
marriages, several failed companies, was defrauded by
business partners, and was once indicted for mail fraud and
later acquitted.
1945
• John von Neumann writes “First Draft of a
report on the EDVAC(Electronic Discrete
Variable Automatic Computer)” in which he
outlines the architecture of the modern
stored-program computer.
• John von Neumann (Neumann János) (December 28,
1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian-AmericanGerman-Jewish mathematician who made important
contributions in quantum physics, functional analysis,
set theory, computer science, economics and many
other mathematical fields.
The EDVAC is
the successor
of the ENIAC.
Made by the
same
designers:
Mauchly and
Eckert.
1946
• The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical
Integrator And Computer) was one of
the worlds first computer.
- large stand-alone machine
-
Used large amounts of electricity
Contained miles of wires and
thousands of vacuum tubes
Considered immensely useful when
compared to hand- operated calculators
1946 ENIAC is
introduced, an
electronic
computing machine
build by John
Mauchly and
Presper Eckert
1940’s Cont’
• 1947
On December 23, William Shockley,
Walter Brattain, and JohnBardeen successfully
test the point-contact transistor, setting off the
semiconductor revolution.
• 1949
Maurice Wilkes assembles the EDSAC,
the first practical stored-program computer at
Cambridge University.
1950’s
• IBM sold its first business computer.
- Computational power was equivalent to 1/800 of a
-
typical 800-megahert Pentium computer sold in 2000
perform one task at a time
Typical input and output devices were punch cards and
paper tape
Research Work !!!
• Use the internet to find what development that
happen to electronic digital devices in the following
years.
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1950
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1958
1959
1960’s
• Expensive time-sharing computers became
popular in large organizations that could
afford them
– 30 people could work on one computer
simultaneously
– Input occurs via teletype machine
– Output is printed on a roll of paper
– Could be connected to the telephone
Research Work !!!
• Use the internet to find what development that
happen to electronic digital devices in the following
years.
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1960
1961
1964
1965
1966
1970’s
• The advantage of computer networks was
realized
– Email and files transfer were born
Research Work !!!
• Use the internet to find what development that happen to
electronic digital devices in the following years.
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1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980’s
• PC’s became available in large numbers.
– Networks of interconnected PC’s became popular
(LANs) TCP-IP
– Organizations utilized resource and file sharing
Research Work !!!
• Use the internet to find what development that happen to
electronic digital devices in the following years.
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1980
1981
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990’s
• An explosion of computer use occurs.
– Hundreds of millions of computers are being used
in business and homes
– Most computer are now connected to the internet
– Java is quickly becoming the common language of
today’s computer.
Research Work !!!
• Use the internet to find what development that happen to
electronic digital devices in the following years.
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1990
1991
1993
1994
1995
1986
1997
1998
1999
Research Work !!!
• From 2000 to 2010, there are lots of different
development in the digital electronic devices.
Use the internet or any other media to
identify at least 3 from each year.
Summary
• Computer History
• Timeline
• Digital Electronic Devices Development.