history of computers1
Somewhere around 3000BC the first mechanical counting device created was the abacus. The abacus is still used today and, amazingly to me, with great speed and accuracy. In 1642 another mechanical device was created called the Pascaline (after Blaise Pascal, a famous French mathematician). The Pascaline used gears and wheels ("counting-wheels") to perform the calculations. The interesting thing to note is that the counting-wheel design was used in calculators until the 1960s.The next major breakthrough in computer history revolves around Charles Babbage and his Difference Engine and Analytical Engine. The machines that Charles designed in the early 1800s were not electronic computers as we know them now but they were general-purpose computational devices that were designed to be driven by steam. Charles is credited with being the "Father of Computing" due to the fact that his designs were WAY ahead of his time. He laid the foundation for the modern computer.Another computer development spurred by the war was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) produced by a partnership between the U.S. government and the University of Pennsylvania. Consi
Many things happened between the creation of the ENIAC and now. The use of magnetic drums and vacuum tubes required that these computers were HUGE, some up to half a football field in size! They also were very expensive to operate, generated a lot of heat, used a lot of electricity, and failed (shut down) often. Among the most interesting and pertinent to us in this course is the development of the microcomputer. Computers became much smaller, much faster, and much more affordable due to creation of the integrated circuit. The major development of the microcomputer took place in the 1970s during a time when most of us were alive to witness it firsthand. The computers that were created during this time used vacuum tubes and wires for their circuitry. The use of silicon chips and integrated circuits brought the creation of the minicomputer (multi-user desk sized computers). During this time we have seen the creation of huge and very profitable corporations including Microsoft, Apple, Dell, Compaq, etc. This also allowed computers to become much smaller and more efficient. The trend continues during this period as well; faster, smaller, and cheaper! Integrated circuits continue to get smaller and the circuits continue to get more and more complex. and the growth and prosperity of pioneering companies like IBM. Just like the evolution of televisions, radios, and amplifiers during this time revolved around the shift from vacuum tube to transistor, so did computers. It was during this time period that humans began to interact with computers directly through the use of terminals with keyboards and monitors. If you've ever had or been around a vacuum tube television, radio, or amplifier you know that, when they are left on for any length of time, they get very hot and, like light bulbs, they burn out.
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Blaise Pascal,
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Acceptance Essays
