History of Computer: Basic Computing Periods

History of Computer: Basic Computing Periods

Earliest Computers originally calculations were computed by humans, whose job title was computers.
• These human computers were typically engaged in the calculation of a mathematical expression.
• The calculations of this period were specialized and expensive, requiring years of training in mathematics.
• The first use of the word "computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations, or
computations, and the word continued to be used in that sense until the middle of the 20th century.

a) Tally sticks – an ancient memory aid device to record and document numbers, quantities, or even messages

b) Abacus - a mechanical device used to aid an individual in performing mathematical calculations.

• The abacus was invented in Babylonia in 2400 B.C.
• The abacus in the form we are most familiar with was first used in China in around 500 B.C.
• It used to perform basic arithmetic operations.

c) Napier’s Bones – invented by John Napier in 1614; allowed the operator to multiply, divide and calculate square
and cube roots by moving the rods around and placing them in specially constructed boards.

d) Slide Rule – invented by William Oughtred in 1622;

• Is based on Napier's ideas about logarithms.
• Used primarily for – multiplication – division – roots – logarithms – Trigonometry
• Not normally used for addition or subtraction.

e) Pascaline – invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642; it has its limitation to addition and subtraction; it is too expensive
f) Stepped Reckoner – invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672; this machine can add, subtract, multiply and
divide automatically

g) Jacquard Loom - is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881; an automatic loom controlled
by punch cards

h) Arithmometer - a mechanical calculator invented by Thomas de Colmar in 1820

• The first reliable, useful and commercially successful calculating machine.
• The machine could perform the four basic mathematic functions.
• The first mass-produced calculating machine.

i) Difference Engine and Analytical Engine - an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial
functions.
• Invented by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834
• It is the first mechanical computer.
j) First Computer Programmer - In 1840, Augusta Ada Byron suggests to Babbage that he use the binary system.
• She writes programs for the Analytical Engine.

k) Scheutzian Calculation Engine – invented by Per Georg Scheutz in 1843

• Invented by Per Georg Scheutz in 1843.
• Based on Charles Babbage's difference engine.

l) Tabulating Machine - invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890; to assist in summarizing information and accounting.

m) Harvard Mark 1 - also known as IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC).
• Invented by Howard H. Aiken in 1943
• The first electro-mechanical computer.

n) Z1 - The first programmable computer.

• Created by Konrad Zuse in Germany from 1936 to 1938.
• To program the Z1 required that the user insert punch tape into a punch tape reader and all output was also
generated through punch tape.
o) Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) - • It was the first electronic digital computing device.
• Invented by Professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry at Iowa State University between 1939
and 1942.

p) ENIAC(Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) - It was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
• Completed in 1946.
• Developed by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.

q) UNIVAC 1 (Universal Automatic Computer 1) - was the first commercial computer; designed by Joshn Presper
Eckert and John Mauchly

r) EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) - the First Stored Program Computer
• Designed by Von Neumann in 1952.
• It has a memory to hold both a stored program as well as data.
 s) Obsorne 1 - the first portable computer; released in 1981 by the Osborne Computer Corporation

t) Electronic Controls Company - the first computer company founded by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly

Basic Computing Periods - Ages

• Premechanical – The premechanical age is the earliest age of information technology. It can be defined as the
time between 3000B.C. and 1450A.D. A calculator was the very first sign of an information processor. The popular
model of that time was the abacus.
• Mechanical - The mechanical age is when we first start to see connections between our current technology and
its ancestors. Technologies like the slide rule (an analog computer used for multiplying and dividing) were
invented. Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline which was a very popular mechanical computer. Charles Babbage
developed the difference engine which tabulated polynomial equations using the method of finite differences.
• Electromechanical - The electromechanical age can be defined as the time between 1840 and 1940. These are the
beginnings of telecommunication.
• Electronic - The electronic age is what we currently live in. It can be defined as the time between 1940 and right
now. During this time high-level programming languages were created such as FORTRAN and COBOL.

History of Computer : Generations of Computer

A. First Generation (1946-1958)
• First computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often
enormous, taking up entire rooms.
• Very expensive to operate and in addition to using great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat which
was often the cause of malfunctions
• Relied on machine language, the lowest level programming language understood by computers to
perform operations and they could only solve one problem at a time
• Input was based on punched cards and paper tape and output was displayed on printouts
B. Second Generation (1959-1964)
• Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers; one transistor
replaced the equivalent of 40 vacuum tubes
• Transistors allowed computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more
reliable but it still generated a great deal of heat that can damage the computer.
• Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly,
languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words.
• Second- generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output. These
were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a
magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.
C. Third Generation (1965-1970)
• The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers.
 • Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically
increased the speed and efficiency of computers.
• It could carry out instructions in billionths of a second.
• Much smaller and cheaper compare to the second-generation computers.

D. Fourth Generation (1971- Today)

• The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits
were built onto a single silicon chip.
• As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks,
which eventually led to the development of the Internet.
• Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs (Graphical User Interface), the mouse
and handheld devices.
E. Fifth Generation (Today – Future)
• Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Still in development.
• The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.
• The goal is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and
self-organization.
• There are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today.

Reference:

• https://ftms.edu.my/v2/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/csca0201_ch01.pdf
• https://www.sutori.com/story/history-of-ict-information-and-communications-technology--
N7J51bQqSU7vLWcVfdn5M9qa
• https://www.livescience.com/20718-computer-history.html
• https://www.explainthatstuff.com/historyofcomputers.html
Prepared by: Sir Wendel Balita