History of Computer

In 1602/3000 year ago

  • Invention – Abacus
  • Inventor – China
  • Characteristics
    • First mechanical calculating device.
    • A horizontal rod represents the one, tens, hundred, etc.
  • Applications
    • Used for addition and subtraction operations.
    • Calculation of square roots can also be performed.

In 1617

  • Invention – Napier’s Bones
  • Inventor – John Napier (Scotland)
  • Characteristics
    • Three-dimensional structure.
    • Holding numbers from 0 to9 only.
    • Represent graphical structure of calculating result.
  • Applications
    • Perform multiplication on numbers.
    • Technology used for calculation called Rabdology.

In 1642

  • Invention – Pascaline
  • Inventor – Blaise Pascal (France)
  • Characteristics
    • First mechanical adding machine.
    • It was structed like rectangular box, with eight disc (represent number of units).
  • Applications
    • Perform addition and subtraction of two numbers.
    • Mainly designed with regard to the pressure of liquid.

In 1801

  • Invention – Jacquard’s Loom
  • Inventor – Joseph Marie Jacquard (France)
  • Characteristics
    • Mainly weaved a silk-based pattern.
    • Used punched card for the sequence of operation.
  • Applications
    • Simplified the process of Textiles.

In 1837

  • Invention – Analytical Engine
  • Inventor – Charles Babbage (London)
  • Characteristics
    • First general-purpose computer.
    • Stored program in the form of ‘pegs’ also called barrels.
  • Applications
    • It was a decimal machine used sign and magnitude for representation of a number.

In 1890

  • Invention – Tabulating Machine
  • Inventor – Herman Hollerith (America)
  • Characteristics
    • It used punched cards with round holes.
    • It was the first electromechanical machine, designed to process the data for census in 1890.
  • Applications
    • Read one card at a time.

In 1944

  • Invention – MARK-1
  • Inventor – Howard Aiken (America)
  • Characteristics
    • Consists of interlocking panels of small glass, counters, switcher and control circuits.
    • Data can be entered manually.
  • Applications
    • Mainly used in the war effort during World War-2
    • Magnetic drums are used for storage.

In 1946

  • Invention – ENIAC
  • Inventor – JP Eckert and JW Mauchly (America)
  • Characteristics
    • It is a combination of twenty accumulators.
    • First electronic digital computer.
  • Applications
    • Used for weather prediction, atomic energy calculating and other scientific uses.

In 1949

  • Invention – EDSAC
  • Inventor – John Von Neumann (America)
  • Characteristics
    • It was first computer which provided storage capacity.
    • First computer program was run on machine.
  • Applications
    • Capable of storing instructions and data in memory.
    • Used mercury delay lines for memory, vacuum tubes for logic.

In 1951

  • Invention – UNIVAC
  • Inventor – J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly (America)
  • Characteristics
    • First general-purpose electronic computer with large amount of input and output.
  • Applications
    • Used magnetic tapes as input and output.

In 1951

  • Invention – IBM-650 Computer
  • Inventor – IBM Company
  • Characteristics
    • Provided input/output units converting alphabetical and special characters to two-digit decimal code.
  • Applications
    • Payroll processing
    • Oil refinery design
    • Market Research analysis

Generations of Computer

A generation refers to the state of improvement in the development of system. Computer are built of electromechanical, before generation. Each generation of computer is characterised by a major technological development that fundamentally changed the way, computers operate.

First Generation (1940s-56s)

  • Main electronic component – vacuum tubes.
  • Main memory – magnetic drums and magnetic tapes.
  • Programming language – machine language.
  • Power – consume a lot of electricity and generate a lot of heat.
  • Speed and size – very slow and very large in size (often taking up entire room).
  • Input/output devices – punched cards and paper tape.
  • Examples – ENIAC, UNIVAC1, MARK-1, IBM 650, IBM 701, etc.
  • Quantity – there were about 100 different vacuum tube computers produced between 1942 and1963.

Second Generation of Computers (1956s-1963s)

  • Main electronic component – transistors, invented in 1947 but did not widespread use in computers util the late 50s.
  • Memory – magnetic core and magnetic tape / disk.
  • Programming language – assembly language (COBOL and FORTRAN).
  • Power and size – low power consumption, generated less heat, and smaller in size (in comparison with the first-generation computers).
  • Speed – improvement of speed and reliability (in comparison with the first-generation computers).
  • Input/output devices – punched cards and magnetic tape.
  • Examples – IBM 1401, IBM 7090 and 7094, UNIVAC 1107, PDP-8 etc.

Third Generation of Computers (1964s-1971s)

  • Main electronic component – integrated circuits (ICs).
  • Memory – large magnetic core, magnetic tape / disk.
  • Programming language – high level language (FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, COBOL, C, etc.).
  • Size – smaller, cheaper, and more efficient than second generation computers (they were called minicomputers).
  • Speed – improvement of speed and reliability (in comparison with the second-generation computers).
  • Input / output devices – magnetic tape, keyboard, monitor, printer, etc.
  • Examples – IBM 360, IBM 370, PDP-11, UNIVAC 1108, NCR-395, B6500 etc

Fourth Generation of Computers (1971s-present)

  • Main electronic component – very large-scale integration (VLSI) and microprocessor.
  • VLSI– thousands of transistors on a single microchip.
  • Memory – semiconductor memory (such as RAM, ROM, etc.)
  • RAM (random-access memory) – a type of data storage (memory element) used in computers that temporary stores of programs and data (volatile: its contents are lost when the computer is turned off).
  • ROM (read-only memory) – a type of data storage used in computers that permanently stores data and programs (non-volatile: its contents are retained even when the computer is turned off).
  • Programming language – high level language (Python, C#, Java, JavaScript, Rust, Kotlin, etc.).
  • A mix of both third- and fourth-generation languages.
  • Size – smaller, cheaper and more efficient than third generation computers.
  • Speed – improvement of speed, accuracy, and reliability (in comparison with the third-generation computers).
  • Input / output devices – keyboard, pointing devices, optical scanning, monitor, printer, etc.
  • Network – a group of two or more computer systems linked together.
  • Examples – IBM PC, STAR 1000, APPLE II, Apple Macintosh, etc.

Fifth Generation of Computers (the present and the future)

  • • Main electronic component: based on artificial intelligence, uses the Ultra Large-Scale Integration (ULSI) technology, Super Large Scale Integrated (SLSI) and parallel processing method.
  • ULSI – millions of transistors on a single microchip.
  • Parallel processing method – use two or more microprocessors to run tasks simultaneously.
  • Language – understand natural language (human language).
  • Power – consume less power and generate less heat.
  • Speed – remarkable improvement of speed, accuracy and reliability (in comparison with the fourth-generation computers).
  • Size – portable and small in size, and have a huge storage capacity.
  • Input / output device – keyboard, monitor, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, pen, speech input (recognise voice / speech), light scanner, printer, etc.
  • Example – desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.

Important Points of Computer History and Generation

  • The first digital computer was invented in 1642 by Blaise Pascal.
  • UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.
  • The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971.
  • In 1981, IBM introduced its first computer for the home user and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh.
  • CRAY-1 was the world’s first supercomputer introduced by Seymour R CRAY in 1976.
  • PARAM was the first supercomputer developed in India in 1990.
  • PARAM ISHAN is the latest machine in the series of PARAM made by C-DAC and IIT Guwahati on 20th September, 2016.
  • Siddhartha was the first computer developed in India.
  • John Von Neumann was introduced first architecture of computer in the year 1948.
  • Transistors were invented by Bell Laboratory.
  • In 1958, Jack St. Clair Kilby and Robert Noyce invented the first IC.
  • In latest generation computers, the instructions are executed parallel as well as sequential.