History of Modern Computers

1. Computing in the Modern World Ms. Stewart History of Modern Computers http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

2. History of Modern Computers • The evolution of modern computers is divided into a few "distinct" generations. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

3. History of Modern Computers • Each generation is characterized by extreme improvements over the prior era in the technology used in the: • manufacturing process, • the internal  layout of computer systems, and • programming languages. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

4. First Generation of Computers • 1945-1956 • Computers were mainly used by the government for use in war and designing strategies. • KonradZuse (1941) used computers to design airplanes and missiles. • The British designed a computer to decode secret messages (1943). http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

5. First Generation of Computers, cont’d. • 1945-1956 • Aiken created an electronic calculator (1944) to create charts for the Navy. It was half as long as a football field. • ENIAC computer (1945) was a general purpose computer used to design the hydrogen bomb. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

6. First Generation of Computers, cont’d (2). • 1945-1956 • Neumann designed the EDVAC computer (1945), which was able to store a program as well as data. The computer could also be stopped and re-started – a first for this time period. • Key development was the Central Processing Unit (CPU). http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

7. First Generation of Computers, cont’d (3). • 1945-1956 • Eckert and Mauchly developed the UNIVAC I (1951). It was the first commercially successful computer. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

8. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • The invention of the transistor greatly changed the computer's development.  The transistor replaced the large, cumbersome vacuum tube in televisions, radios and computers.    • As a result, the size of electronic machinery has been shrinking ever since. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

9. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • Transistors led to second generation computers that were smaller, faster, more reliable and more energy-efficient than their ancestors. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

10. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • The Stretch by IBM and LARC by Sperry-Rand were supercomputers developed for atomic energy laboratories and could handle an enormous amount of data. • The machines were costly, however, and tended to be too powerful for the business sector's computing needs, thereby limiting their attractiveness. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

11. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • Throughout the early 1960's, there were a number of commercially successful second generation computers used in businesses, universities, and government. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

12. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • They contained all the components we associate with the modern day computer: printers, tape storage, disk storage, memory, and stored programs.  • An example was the IBM 1401. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

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14. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • It was the stored program and programming language that gave computers the flexibility to finally be cost effective and productive for business use.  http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

15. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • The stored program concept meant that instructions to run a computer for a specific function (known as a program) were held inside the computer's memory, and could quickly be replaced by a different set of instructions for a different function.  • For example, print one minute, then design documents the next. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

16. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • More sophisticated high-level languages such as COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) and FORTRAN (Formula Translator) came into common use during this time, and have expanded to the current day.  • These languages replaced cryptic binary machine code with words, sentences, and mathematical formulas, making it much easier to program a computer.  http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

17. Second Generation Computers • 1956 – 1963 • New types of careers (programmer, analyst, and computer systems expert) and the entire software industry began with second generation computers. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

18. Third Generation Computers • 1964 – 1971 • Transistors, when first created, generated massive amounts of heat. • Kilby (1958) developed an integrated circuit to use in the place of transistors. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

19. Third Generation Computers • 1964 – 1971 • The IC combined three electronic components onto a small silicon disc, which was made from quartz.  • Scientists later managed to fit even more components on a single chip, called a semiconductor.  • As a result, computers became ever smaller as more components were squeezed onto the chip. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

20. Third Generation Computers • 1964 – 1971 • Another development was 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. • Operating Systems (examples) • Windows • Vista • MAC • Programs (examples) • Word • Excel • Access • PowerPoint • Windows Media Player • Skype http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

21. Third Generation Computers • Thompson and Ritchie (1969) developed the UNIX operating system.  UNIX was the first modern operating system that provided a sound intermediary between software and hardware. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm

22. Fourth Generation Computers • 1971 – present • The next step in the computer design process was to reduce the overall size. • Hundreds of thousands of components were squeezed onto a chip. http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Computers/comp3.htm