Basic History of Computers
Computers have a history dating back to the abacus, a counting rack used by many ancient cultures. Progress was slow and some ideas were stillborn without the technology to implement them. When the technology arrived, the modern computer came into being.
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Early Computers
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The earliest computer is the abacus, which is still in use today. In 1642, Blaise Pascal invented a manual calculator with numbers that rolled over like an odometer. The first concept like a modern computer was the analytical engine designed in 1834. Charles Babbage designed it to use punch cards. The analytical engine wasn't completed, but it was the basis of modern computers.
WWII
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Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry made the first electronic computer in 1937, and military needs spurred the development of newer computers. These required a large amount of floor space, 20,000 vacuum tubes and high power demands. The electronic numerical integrator and computer (ENIAC) was made in 1942 and was the first digital computer design.
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Languages and Storage
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Languages such as FORTRAN, Basic, UNIX and DOS allowed the personal computer to become usable. Magnetic disks and tapes made program and data storage practical.
Smaller Components
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In the late 1960s the invention of the transistor replaced the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller. Electronic parts such as the RAM chip made the computer practical.
The PC
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The first microcomputer for general purchase was the Altair 8800. The Texas Instruments TI99, Radio Shack TRS80, Apple and IBM soon followed. The concept hasn't changed, but technology and improvements made the computer faster and easier to use.
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References
- Photo Credit old wooden abacus, front view. image by Solodovnikova Elena from Fotolia.com
