History of Computers & the Internet

History of Computers & the Internet Emily 5th

Creation of Computers • Invented in 1936 • KonradZuse • Z1-First freely programmable computer.

“Debugging” • The terms "bug" and "debugging" are both popularly attributed to Admiral Grace Hopper in the 1940s. While she was working on a Mark II Computer at Harvard University, her associates discovered a moth stuck in a relay and thereby impeding she remarked they were “debugging” the system. • However the term "bug" in the meaning of technical error dates back at least to 1878 an Thomas Edison (see software bug for a full discussion), and "debugging" seems to have been used as a term in aeronautics before entering the world of computers. Indeed, in an interview Grace Hopper remarked that she was not coining the term. The moth fit the already existing terminology, so she saved it.

The Interweb :] • Invented in the 1950 • As away to communicate during the space race. • The Internet was originally developed by DARPA - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - as a means to share information on defense research between involved universities and defense research facilities.

Charles Babbage • Invented the Analytical Engine • Designed as a calculating machine • Used punched cards to store info. • Planned to store info. in a memory unit that would allow it to make decisions & carry out instructions. • Was never built but the design served as a model for the modern computer.

Herman Hollerith • Invented the Tabulating Machine • Designed for the census of 1890 • Used electricity rather than gears

ENIAC • Electronic Numerical Integration and Calculating • Originally secret military project in WWII to calculate the trajectory of artillery shells. • Built at the University of Pennsylvania, it was not finished until 1946 • Weighed 30 tons & occupied 1500sq.ft. • 1st generation of computers

Program • A program is a list of instructions written in a special language that the computer can understand • Stored program Computer would store instructions in a CPU (central processing unit)

transistor replacing vacuum tubes • The vacuum tube, used to amplify music & voice, made long-distance calling practical, but the tubes consumed power, created heat and burned out rapidly, requiring high maintenance. • The transistor was the first device designed to act as both a transmitter, converting sound waves into electronic waves, and resistor, controlling electronic current. • Transistors made of semiconductors replaced tubes in the construction of computers. By replacing bulky and unreliable vacuum tubes with transistors, computers could now perform the same functions, using less power and space.

The First Microcomputer • 1975: Ed Roberts, the "father of the microcomputer" designed the first microcomputer, the Altair 8800, which was produced by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS). The same year, two young hackers, William Gates and Paul Allen approached MITS and promised to deliver a BASIC compiler. So they did and from the sale, Microsoft was born.

The Binary System • Only uses two digits ( 0 & 1) • Represents numbers & letters • A code was developed with 8 binary digits for each single number or letter • Each 0 or 1 is called a bit • Bit (BInarydigiT) • An 8 bit unit is called a Byte

Credits; • http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm • http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa061698.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debugging

History of Computers & the Internet