EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER

ABACUS 4^th Century B.C

8  The abacus, a simple counting aid, may have been invented in Babylonia (now Iraq) in

the fourth century B.C.

8  This device allows users to make computations using a system of sliding beads arranged on a rack.

BLAISE PASCAL    (1623 - 1662)

—  In 1642, the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal invented a calculating device that would come to be called the "Adding Machine".

BLAISE PASCAL    (1623 - 1662)

8  Originally called a "numerical wheel calculator" or the "Pascaline", Pascal's invention utilized a train of 8 moveable dials or cogs to add sums of up to 8 figures long. As one dial turned 10 notches - or a complete revolution - it mechanically turned the next dial.

8  Pascal's mechanical Adding Machine automated the process of calculation. Although slow by modern standards, this machine did provide a fair degree of accuracy and speed.

CHARLES BABBAGE     (1791 – 1871)

8  Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and professor.

8   In 1822, he persuaded the British government to finance his design to build a machine (called difference engine and later analytical engine) that would calculate tables for logarithms.

8  With Charles Babbage's creation of the "Analytical Engine", (1833) computers took the form of a general purpose machine.

8  Charles Babbage is called father of computer

HOWARD AIKEN     (1900 - 1973)

8  Aiken thought he could create a modern and functioning model of Babbage's Analytical Engine.

8  He succeeded in securing a grant of 1 million dollars for his proposed Automatic Sequence Calculator; the Mark I for short. From IBM.

In 1944, the Mark I was "switched" on. Aiken's colossal machine spanned 51 feet in length and 8 feet in height. 500 meters of wiring were required to connect each component.

—  The Mark I did transform Babbage's dream into reality and did succeed in putting IBM's name on the forefront of the burgeoning computer industry. From 1944 on, modern computers would forever be associated with digital intelligence.

ENIAC       1946

8  Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer

8  Under the leadership of J. Presper Eckert (1919 - 1995) and John W. Mauchly (1907 - 1980) the team produced a machine that computed at speeds 1,000 times faster than the Mark I was capable of only 2 years earlier.

8  Using 18,00-19,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 5 million soldered joints. This massive instrument required the output of a small power station to operate it.

8  It could do nuclear physics calculations (in two hours) which it would have taken 100 engineers a year to do by hand.

8  The system's program could be changed by rewiring a panel.

TRANSISTOR     1948

8  In the laboratories of Bell Telephone, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley discovered the "transfer resistor"; later labeled the transistor.

8  Advantages:

8  increased reliability

8  1/13 size of vacuum tubes

Consumed 1/20 of the electricity of vacuum tubes

8  were a fraction of the cost

8  This tiny device had a huge impact on and extensive implications for modern computers. In 1956, the transistor won its creators the Noble Peace Prize for their invention.

ALTAIR      1975

8  The invention of the transistor made computers smaller, cheaper and more reliable. Therefore, the stage was set for the entrance of the computer into the domestic realm. In 1975, the age of personal computers commenced.

8  Under the leadership of Ed Roberts the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Company (MITS) wanted to design a computer 'kit' for the home hobbyist.

8  Based on the Intel 8080 processor, capable of controlling 64 kilobyes of memory, the MITS Altair - as the invention was later called - was debuted on the cover of the January edition of Popular Electronics magazine.

8  Presenting the Altair as an unassembled kit kept costs to a minimum. Therefore, the company was able to offer this model for only $395. Supply could not keep up with demand.

8  ALTAIR FACTS:

8  No Keyboard

8  No Video Display

8  No Storage Device

IBM (PC)      1981

8  On August 12, 1981 IBM announced its own personal computer.

8  Using the 16 bit Intel 8088 microprocessor, allowed for increased speed and huge amounts of memory.

8  Unlike the Altair that was sold as unassembled computer kits, IBM sold its "ready-made" To satisfy consumer appetites and to increase usability, IBM gave prototype IBM PCs to a number of major software companies.

8  For the first time, small companies and individuals who never would have imagined owning a "personal" computer were now opened to the computer world.

8  machine through retailers and by qualified salespeople.

 MACINTOSH    (1984)

8  IBM's major competitor was a company lead by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs; the Apple Computer Inc.

8  The "Lisa" was the result of their competitive thrust.

8  This system differed from its predecessors in its use of a "mouse" - then a quite foreign computer instrument - in lieu of manually typing commands.

8  However, the outrageous price of the Lisa kept it out of reach for many computer buyers.

8  Apple's brainchild was the Macintosh. Like the Lisa, the Macintosh too would make use of a graphical user interface.

8  Introduced in January 1984 it was an immediate success.

8  The GUI (Graphical User Interface) made the system easy to use.

8  The Apple Macintosh debuts in 1984. It features a simple, graphical interface, uses the 8-MHz, 32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU, and has a built-in 9-inch B/W screen.

Computer   Generations

FIRST GENERATION    (1945-1956)

—  First generation computers were characterized by the fact that operating instructions were made-to-order for the specific task for which the computer was to be used.

—  Each computer had a different binary-coded program called a machine language that told it how to operate.

—  This made the computer difficult to program and limited its versatility and speed.

—  Other distinctive features of first generation computers were the use of vacuum tubes for circuitry (responsible for their breathtaking size) and magnetic drums for data storage.

—  Problems:

—  Vacuum tube generated a great deal of heat

—  Tubes burnt out frequently

—  Thus, first generation computers were Huge, Slow, Expensive, Unreliable

—  The  ENIAC and UNIVAC are first generation computing devices

CHARACTERISTICS

—  First generation computers were based on vacuum tubes.

—  The operating systems of the first generation computers were very slow.

—  They were very large in size.

—  Production of the heat was in large amount in first generation computers

—   Machine language was used for programming.

—  First generation computers were unreliable.

SECOND GENERATION   (1956-1963)

—  These second generation computers were also of solid state design, and contained transistors in place of vacuum tubes

—  Transistors

—  Were smaller than vacuum tubes

—  They needed no warm up time

—  Consumes less energy

—  Generate much less heat

—  Faster and more reliable

—  These computers were smaller, faster and cheaper

—  They also contained all the components we associate with the modern day computer: printers, tape storage, disk storage, memory, operating systems, and stored programs.

—  One important example was the IBM 1401

—  CHARACTERISTICS

—  Transistors were used in place of vacuum tubes.

—  Second generation computers were smaller in comparison with the first generation computers.

—  They were faster in comparison with the first generation computers.

—  They generated less heat and were less prone to failure.

—  They took comparatively less computational time

—  Assembly language was used for programming.

—  Second generation computers has faster input/output devices.

—  IBM 7000, NCR 304, IBM 650, IBM 1401, ATLAS and Mark III are the examples of second generation computers.

THIRD GENERATION     (1956-1963)

—  Though transistors were clearly an improvement over the vacuum tube, they still generated a great deal of heat, which damaged the computer's sensitive internal parts.

—  The development of integrated circuit (IC) signal the beginning of the third generation computers

—  Integrated circuit (IC) is a collection of  transistors and electrical circuits all in a single crystal call The microchip is a complete electronic circuit on a small chip silicon knows as a semi-conductor

—  Integrated circuit technology reduced the size and cost of computers

—  Today’s integrated circuits are no more than a centimeter long, and they can carry millions of microscopic transistors

—  As a result, computers became ever smaller as more components were squeezed onto the chip.

—  Another third-generation development included the use of an operating system that allowed machines to run many different programs at once with a central program that monitored and coordinated the computer's memory.

—  Advantages of integrated circuits:

—  Silicon chips were reliable, compact  and cheaper

—  Sold hardware and software separately which created the software industry

—  Customer service industry grew

—   General characteristics of this computer generation

—  IC was used instead of transistors in the third generation computers.

—  Third generation computers were smaller in size and cheaper as compare to the second generation computers.

—   They were fast and more reliable.

—  High level language was developed.

—  Magnetic core and solid states as main storage.

—   They were able to reduce computational time and had low maintenance cost.

—  Input/output devices became more sophisticated.

—  PDP-8, PDP-11, ICL 2900, IBM 360 and IBM 370 are the examples of third generation computers.

FOURTH GENERATION     (1971-Present)

—  The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip

—  The microprocessor is a large scale integrated circuit on a tiny silicon chip that contains thousands or millions of transistors in in multiple ICs.

A microprocessor containing about 100 components is called LSI (Large Scale Integration) and the one, which has more than 1000 such components, is called as VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration). 

—  What in the first generation filled an entire room could now the could fit in the palm of the hand.

—   The fourth generation computers became more powerful, compact, reliable and affordable as a result, they give rise to personal computer (PC) revolution.

—  In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh Microprocessor. 

—  CHARACTERISTICS

—  The fourth generation computers have microprocessor-based systems

—  They are the cheapest among all the computer generation.

—  The speed, accuracy and reliability of the computers were improved in fourth generation computers.

—  Many high-level languages were developed in the fourth generation such as COBOL, FORTRAN, BASIC, PASCAL and C language.

—  A further refinement of input/output devices was developed.

—  Networking between the systems was developed

—  IBM 4341, DEC 10, STAR 1000, PUP 11 and APPLE II are the examples of fourth generation computers

FIFTH GENERATION    (present & beyond)

—  Fifth generation computing devices are based on artificial intelligence and they are still in development

—  Computers today have some attributes of fifth generation computers and applications such as voice recognition are being used today

—  The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.

—  Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in years to come.

—  The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.

—  5th generation computers use ULSI (Ultra-Large Scale Integration) chips. Millions of transistors are placed in a single IC in ULSI chips

—  CHARACTERISTICS

—   The fifth generation computers will use super large scale integrated chips

—   They will have artificial intelligence.

—  They will be able to recognize image and graphs.

—  Fifth generation computer aims to be able to solve highly complex problem including decision making, logical reasoning.

—  They will be able to use more than one CPU for faster processing speed.

—  Fifth generation computers are intended to work with natural language.