Do you know the history of computer? by Arakkal. M. Sebastian
Do you know the history of computer?
Prepared by Arakkal. M. Sebastian
mailto:sebastianam@sabic.com
http://www.arakkalnet.com
Since the dawn of civilization to the present day, human beings have calculated, manipulated, and organized numerical and written information. Whether it was Neolithic people counting on their fingers or modern accountants tracking figures in their ledgers the need for precise record keeping always presented a challenge. Several ancient civilizations lay claim to the invention of writing and numerical expression. It's probably best to leave the arguments about who discovered what and when to professional historians.
Like many other technological devices, computers have undergone a long evolution. It began with the abacus, the ancient calculating instrument. Through the 16th , 17th, and 18th centuries, the invention of the mechanical adding machine and subsequent improvements led to the concept of a general computing machine. World War II brought about intensive research in computing. The ideas of the previous centuries and the technology of the twentieth caused major advances in computer design, power, and speed. What began with the abacus has produced the modern desktop personal computer.
Computers and computing are not new ideas. The first computing device, the abacus, appeared more than 1,500 years ago.
Scientists, mathematicians, inventors, and philosophers steadily refined and defined computing machines and theories over the centuries. Only recently have computers been mass marketed and available to the lay public. Paradoxically, as computers have become faster and more powerful, they have also become easier to use.
The original definition of a computer described a person, talented in advanced mathematics, who did nothing but calculate complex formulas. The first adding machine appeared early in the 16th century, and improvement on its design over the centuries provided it with the ability to also subtract, multiply, and divide numbers.
Computer theory also improved over the same period. The scientific community agreed that all computers should operate along a basic principle; that they could be programmed to perform a number of specific tasks. Only when technology caught us with theory did computers become widely available. The development of the transistor shrank the size of the computer, and added power and speed.
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