History of Computing#
Timeline Creation#
A hand-operated calculating tool
- Size
~10 inches long, ~2.5 inches wide, ~0.75 inches thick.
- Speed
Generally slower than modern electronic calculators for complex computations.
- Storage
Uses the physical position of beads to represent numerical values.
- Usability
Not programmable. No electronic components. Mental math training.
Manually operated calculating device for performing multiplication and division.
- Size
57mm x 95mm x 20mm.
- Speed
Compared to modern digital computers, speed of calculation was relatively slow.
- Usability
Simplified multiplication and division by using inscribed rods.
Mechanical calculator, invented by Blaise Pascal, designed to perform arithmetic operations, specifically addition and subtraction.
- Size
36mm long, 13cm wide, and 8cm high.
- Speed
Would read one punched card at a time and print the same in a chronological manner.
- Storage
Store the arithmetic values in an accumulator.
- Usability
Adds and subtracts, and multiplies and divides through series of additions and subtractions.
Mechanical calculator designed to automatically produce tables of polynomial functions.
- Size
11 feet long, 7 feet high.
- Speed
3.5 seconds (compared to manual calculation).
- Storage
Utilized a system of columns to store and manipulate numerical values during calculations.
- Usability
Reducing human error and increasing the speed of table production.
Proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, incorporated with key concepts such as arithmetic logic unit, program control flow, and integrated memory.
- Size
15 feet tall and 25 feet long.
- Speed
Addition and subtraction of two 45-digit numbers was estimated to take about three seconds, while multiplication and division could take between two and four minutes.
- Storage
Capable of holding 1,000 numbers with 50 decimal digits each.
- Usability
Incorporates key elements like a CPU, memory, I/O mechanisms, and the ability to execute conditional operations and loops.
First successful commercial typewriter. All keys were uppercase.
- Size
14.25 inches high, 18 inches wide, and 15.75 inches long.
- Speed
Allowed for faster document creation than handwriting.
- Usability
“Blind typing”. Uppercase only. Mechanical complexity. Single-function.
or ENIAC; first machine that could be programmed to solve a wide range of computational problems.
- Size
1,800 square feet of space.
- Speed
5,000 additions per second.
- Storage
Primarily used 20 electronic accumulators for data storage. These accumulators could each store a ten-digit decimal number, totaling about 200 decimal digits of memory.
- Usability
Manual reprogramming. Lack of flexibility. Consumes a large amount of power and required constant maintenance.
or EDVAD; designed based on the stored-program concept where instructions were stored in memory alongside data, allowing for greater flexibility and efficiency.
- Size
490 square foot of floor space.
- Speed
Average addition time of 1,160 operations per second and an average multiplication time of 340 operations per second.
- Storage
Used mercury delay line memory for both program instructions and data. This memory held 1,024 44-bit words.
- Usability
Stored-program concept. Binary system. Faster processing. Automatic computation. Serial processing.
or UNIVAC; was the first commercially available computer in the United States. It was desigend for business applications.
- Size
382 square feet.
- Speed
Performed approximately 1,905 operations per second.
- Storage
Primarily used magnetic tape for storage; however, it also employed mercury delay-line memory for primary memory and magnetic drums for larger storage.
- Usability
Keyboard/Console. Limited user interface. Specialized knowledge. Commercial focus.
or “Defense Calculator”; it was designed for scientific and engineering calculations.
- Size
44 by 27 feet.
- Speed
14,000 instructions per second.
- Storage
Used a combination of storage technologies, including electrostatic storage using Williams tubes, magnetic drums, and magnetic tapes. It also used magnetic tape for secondary storage.
First commercially successful personal computer to feature a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse.
- Speed
Early models were notably slower than contemporaries.
- Storage
Typically a hard drive or SSD.
- Usability
Revolutionized computing by prioritizing usability through a user-friendly graphical user itnerface.
Generations of Computer#
- Technology
Vacuum Tubes
- Characteristics
Large, expensive, unreliable, generated a lot of heat, and used machine language.
- Examples
ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC
- Technology
Transistors
- Characteristics
Smaller, faster, more reliable, and more energy-efficient than vacuum tubes, introduced assembly langauge and high-level programming languages like FORTRAN and COBOL.
- Examples
IBM 1401, IBM 7090
- Technology
Integrated circuits (chips)
- Characteristics
Smaller, faster, more reliable, and more affordable than previous generations, used high-level languages, and introduced the use of keyboards and monitors for input and output.
- Examples
IBM System/360, PDP-8
- Technology
Microprocessors
- Characteristics
Allowed for the development of personal computers, introduced GUIs, and focused on increasing processing power and speed.
- Examples
Intel 4004, Apple II
- Technology
Artificial Intelligence, parallel processing, and quantum computing
- Characteristics
Focus on natural language processing, robotics, and advanced problem-solving capabilities, with the potential for supercomputers and quantum computers.
- Examples
IBM Watson, Google’s AI, and emerging quantum computing systems.