History of the Personal Computer: From 1804 to Nowadays

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Table of Contents

Hollerth’s Census Machine
Burroughs Adding and Listing Machine
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator)
Von Neumann’s Logistical/Computers
References

The search for newer, faster and smaller computers has been on for many years.

In 1804, Joseph Jacquards, a French man, invented an attachment to the mechanical loom for weaving clothes. He realized that the design found in a woven cloth followed a fixed repetitive pattern which was a program. By punching holes at specific patterns and intervals in cards attached to the loom, he was able to control the threads, reducing desired patterns and hence storing information by punching the cards (Chronology of personal computers, 2010).

In 1833, Charles Babbage designed a steam powered device which was called an Analytical Engine which was a special purpose machine that could perform specific calculations. The Analytical engine was a far more sophisticated general purpose computing device which included five of the key components that performed the basic of modern computers. These are:

Input devices that were used to punch cards that contained instructions or data.
A processor/Calculator/Mill-this is where all the calculations were performed.
Memory unit also called a store where data and intermediate calculators could be stored.
The control unit which controlled the sequence in which operations operated.
The output devices-this is where Babbage got his results.

Charles contributed by developing the problem solving instructions that the engine would follow while doing calculations (The history of computers, n. d).

Hollerth’s Census Machine

Hollerth developed a machine that automated the tabulating process. The machine combined electricity with Jacquard’s method of storing information on punched cards. Whole representing census papers information was punched on stiff paper cards.

Burroughs Adding and Listing Machine

Burroughs invented the 1^st adding and listing machine. It had a full numeric keyboard and was operated by hard crank.

ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator)

It was large in size and complex. It was a room sized machine that used 1800 vacuum tubes as internal components.

It had independent cutis for storing program instructions and numbers. Several mathematical functions could be performed at once by modern standards. It had limited storage capacity, limited memory and did not store instruction as modern computers.

Each new programme required rewriting its program circuit and could multiply numbers in 0.003.The only disadvantage is that it used a lot of electricity and power (Allan, 2001).

Von Neumann’s Logistical/Computers

He was a mathematician who dealt with ideas and not reality or limitations of technology and as a result he was able to develop a logical framework around which computers have been built. He developed the concepts of storing programmes in the computer memory that was called stored program concept. Before; computers were storing only the numbers with which they worked. He converted each programmed instruction into numeric codes of which were binary digits (0 and 1) that could be stored directly in the computer memory as if they were data.

Von organized the hardware of the computer, broke it into components whereby each component performed a specific task and could be called upon repeatedly to perform its functions.

The components in his theoretical computer bare a remarkable resemblance found in the Charles Babbage’s’ analytical engine. These components were: An arithmetical unit for performing basic computations, Logical unit where decision and comparison could be performed, a input device for accepting coded instruction and numerical data, memory unit for storing instructions and data, the control unit for accepting the coded instruction and controlling the flow of data, and the output unit for communication of results (PC-History, n. d).

The Electronic Delay Storage automatic Computer (Edsac) was the first computer to incorporate the stored program idea and use the letter as input and convert them to binary digits in 1949. EDSAC was a stored program machine that used a unique code of binaries Computer Genealogy.

Computer components have decreased in size since the 1950’s.

1st.Generation (1951-1958)

They had the following characteristics:

They used the vacuum tube technology where the input and output of data and instructions used to be done using punched cards.
The machines were programmable. The stored programme machine used numeric codes that were called the machine language. First generation machine were eight hundred meters in size and had huge price tags.

However the following drawbacks resulted from these machines:

The vacuum tube generated tremendous heat resulting in blowing off of tubes.
They used massive amounts of electricity to power the 1000’s vacuum tubes.

2nd Generation (1959-1964)

These generations’ machines were developed by John Barden, Water Braltan and William Shock. In nineteen forty eight, the above invented a transistor while they were working for the bell tacs. They were produced at a cheaper cost and in larger quantities in 1959.A transistor is a tiny electronic switch that relay electronic message and yet built as a solid unit with no moving parts to generate computer vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors now that the new machine were once smaller, faster and more reliable than the first generation computers.

The computers used the solid technology which required no worm up time.

3rd Generation (1965-1970)

These machines involved more and more circuit to be packed into chips. Technology at that time moved from a large scale integration to a very large scale integration. Ted Hoff, the Intel Co-operate Engineer, introduced the microprocessor in 1979. Computers became smaller by condensing. In addition to developing a highly compact Central Processing Unit, the peripheral devices were designed to make the PC easy to use. Peripheral devices are any devices attached to the CPU. Such devices include the Compact storage devices, colour service (the monitor) and a wide variety of pointing devices such as the mouse, in addition to development of small desktop computers. In 1969, Intel was commissioned to produce an IC, a computer chip, for a Japanese calculator company’s line of calculators (Early History of the personal computer, n. d). Ted created the Microprocessor, which did away with ‘handwriting” the logic of the calculator into the chip.

Later, the 8008 was created by Intel, and the company retained its marketing rights, although they could sell to CTC. There was need to create support for the programmable 8008 chip and Adam Osborne, an employee of Intel, was assigned the task of writing the manuals for the programming language for the 8008. He later gained fame in the development of the PC for creating the first portable computer (History of the PC, n. d).

The first operating system for microprocessors called CP/M was developed Gary Kildall. Operating Systems are vital because without them, using a PC can be impossible.

In Albuquerque in New Mexico, in the early 1970s, a man named Ed Roberts created a kit for assembling a home computer and based it upon a new chip (8080) that had been developed by Intel. He then struck a deal which allowed him to purchase the 8080 chips in large volumes at a discounted price.

On the other hand, use of ray large scale integration, super computers has a vast storage and processing capacity. Such machines are used in performing complex mathematical tasks. The compact chip Technology has also brought the development of parallel computers which uses multiprocessors working simultaneously to solve problems. Hardware advances were followed closely by software explosion and prewritten software is now available for all sizes of machines (CompInfo- the computer information Center, 2005).

Beyond the 4th Generation (5th Generation)

Judging from the current research in the United States of America and Japan, the next generation of personal computers is likely to have common features as given below:

They will be more compact-the hardware will be more compact based on the super chip composed of thousands of already compact smaller chips linked together.
The Personal computers will be faster as they will operate and calculate 100’s and 1000’s times faster than the current machine.
They will be closer to natural language as software will make greater use of natural or spoken language.
They will be smarter-will be considerably more intelligent than modern computers.
They will be friendlier-software will make this new computers even more user friendly meaning that people will find them easier to use and operate because the software will require less technological experts.

References

Allan, R. (2001). A history of the personal computer: the people and the technology. United States: Allan Publishing, 2001
Chronology of personal computers (2010).
CompInfo- the computer information Center (2005). Software and computers.
Early History of the personal computer (n. d).
History of the PC (n. d.).
PC-History (n. d). Web.
The history of computers (n. d.). Web.

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