TIHE Basic Computer Skills Lecture 1-2: Computer History.

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 ill-health 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 Born December 26, 1791 in Teignmouth, in Teignmouth, Devonshire UK, Died Devonshire UK, Died 1871, London; Known to 1871, London; Known to some as the "some as the "Father of Father of ComputingComputing" for his " for his contributions to the basic contributions to the basic design of the computer design of the computer through his Analytical through his Analytical machine. His previous machine. His previous Difference Engine was a Difference Engine was a special purpose device special purpose device intended for the intended for the production of tables.production of tables.

1906• Le De Forest patents the vacuum tube

triode, used as an electronic switch in the first electronic computersLee 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-American-German-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.– 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.– 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.– 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.– 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.– 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.