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Computers - Brief History
of Computers |
The history
of computers can be traced back to about
2000 years, when the abacus was used for
arithmetic calculations. It consisted
of a wooden rack holding two horizontal
wires with beads strung on them. The beads
were moved around, according to programming
rules memorized by the user. In many regions
of the world, the abacus is used even
today. |
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The history
of modern computers dates backs to the
16th century. Blaise Pascal built the
first digital computer in 1642, which
could only add numbers. Later, Gottfried
Wilhelm von Leibniz built a computer in
1694 that could add and multiply. In the
18th century, the ideas and designs by
Charles Babbage showed a lot of foresight.
In 1822, he demonstrated a mechanical
calculating machine, which he called a
'Difference Engine'. The idea of his advanced
'Analytical Engine' could not be appreciated
during his times; it took a whole century. | |
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In 1946, the
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator
and Calculator) was developed. This was
a first generation computer made of wired
circuits and vacuum valves. It weighed
30 tones, contained 18,000 electronic
valves, required about 1,800 square feet
of floor space and consumed about 180,000
watts of electrical power! . Punched cards
were used as its storage medium. The next
major step in the advancement of computing
was the invention of the transistor in
1947. Transistors, a smaller and more
reliable component, replaced the inefficient
valves. The computers made at this time
were the second-generation computers.
It was used in the late 1950s and early
1960s. Despite using transistors and printed
circuits, these computers were still bulky
and their use was restricted to universities
and large government offices. |
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With the invention
of the microchip, the third generation
computers evolved. Computers using integrated
circuit allowed the development of 'minicomputers'
that brought computing into smaller businesses.
Large 'mainframes' increased storage and
processing capabilities. LSI (Large Scale
Integration), led to the development of
very small processing units. |
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In 1971, Intel
released the world's first commercial
microprocessor. With this began the era
of the fourth generation computers. The
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) ensured
that the microprocessor chip became even
smaller and faster. Intel's processors
such as the 8086 and later series for
the IBM PC and compatibles brought ever-increasing
power to the computers. Supercomputers
such as Cray were immensely powerful and
were used for complex meteorological and
scientific calculations. The microprocessor
allowed the development of microcomputers,
personal computers that were small and
cheap enough to be available to ordinary
people. |
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The computer
field continues to experience rapid growth.
Computers are getting smaller by the day
-- desktop to laptop to palm held! Internet,
email, word processing, electronic publishing
and many more applications have become
indispensable in today's life. Advances
in technologies will soon ensure that
we live in a realm of Science fiction. |
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