Computers+Electric+The+history+of

Computers Electric The history of


 * The Evolution of Technology**

While Computers are now an important part of the lives of human beings, there was a time where Electric Computers did not exist.

However, Computers have existed since time immemorial i.e. abacus etc.

Knowing the history of Electric Computer ( Henceforth referred to as Computer ), and how much progression has been made can help you understand just how complicated and innovative the creation of electric Computers really is.

Unlike most devices, the Computer is one of the few inventions that does not have one specific inventor.

Throughout the development of the Computer, many people have added their creations to the list required to make a Computer work.

Some of the inventions have been different types of Computers, and some of them were parts required to allow Computers to be developed further.


 * The Commencement**

Perhaps the most significant date in the history of Computer is the year 1936.

It was in this year that the first ʺComputerʺ was developed.

It was created by Konrad Zuse and dubbed the Z1 Computer.

This Computer stands as the first as it was the first system to be fully programmable.

There were devices prior to this, but none had the computing power that sets it apart from other electronics.

It wasnʹt until 1942 that any business saw profit and opportunity in Computers.

This first company was called ABC Computers, owned and operated by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry.

Two years later, the Harvard Mark I Computer was developed, furthering the science of computing.

Over the course of the next few years, inventors all over the world began to search more into the study of Computers, and how to improve upon them.

The next ten years saw the introduction of the transistor, which would become a vital part

of the inner workings of the Computer, the ENIAC 1 Computer, as well as many other types of systems.

The ENIAC 1 is perhaps one of the most interesting, as it required 20,000 vacuum tubes to operate.

It was a massive machine, and started the revolution to build smaller and faster


 * Computers.**

The age of Computers was forever altered by the introduction of International Business

Machines, or IBM, into the computing industry in 1953.

This company, over the course of Computer history, has been a major player in the development of new systems and servers for public and private use.

This introduction brought about the first real signs of competition within computing history, which helped to spur faster and better development of Computers.

Their first contribution was the IBM 701 EDPM Computer.


 * Programming Language begins to Evolve**

A year later, the first successful high level programming language was created.

This was a programming language not written in ʹassemblyʹ or binary, which are considered very low level languages. FORTRAN was written so that more people could begin to program Computers easily.

The year 1955, the Bank of America, coupled with Stanford Research Institute and General Electric, saw the creation of the first Computers for use in banks.

The MICR, or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, coupled with the actual Computer, the ERMA, was a breakthrough for the banking industry.

It wasnʹt until 1959 that the pair of systems was put into use in actual banks.

During 1958, one of the most important breakthroughs in Computer history occurred, the creation of the integrated circuit.

This device, also known as the chip, is one of the base requirements for modern Computer systems.

On every motherboard, and card within a Computer system, are many chips that contain information on what the boards and cards do.

Without these chips, the systems as we know them today cannot function.


 * Gaming, Mice, & the Internet**

For many Computer users now, games are a vital part of the computing experience. 1962 saw the creation of the first Computer game, which was created by Steve Russel and MIT, which was dubbed Spacewar.

The mouse, one of the most basic components of modern Computers, was created in 1964 by Douglass Engelbart.

It obtained its name from the ʺtailʺ leading out of the device, and was greeted with great enthusiasm.

One of the most important aspects of Computers today was invented in 1969. ARPA net was the original Internet, which provided the foundation for the Internet that we know today.

This development would result in the evolution of knowledge and business across the entire planet.

It wasnʹt until 1970 that Intel entered the scene with the first dynamic RAM chip, which resulted in an explosion of Computer science innovation.

On the heels of the RAM chip was the first microprocessor, which was also designed by Intel.

These two components, in addition to the chip developed in 1958, would number among the core components of modern Computers.

A year later, the floppy disk was created, gaining its name from the flexibility of the storage unit, it could be huge though mainly it was 5 ½ “ in diameter.

This was the first step in allowing most people to transfer bits of data between unconnected Computers.

The first networking card was created in 1973, allowing data transfer between connected **Computers.**

This is similar to the Internet, but allows for the Computers to connect without use of the Internet.


 * The Emergence of Household PCʹs**

The next three years were very important for Computers.

This is when companies began to develop systems for the average consumer.

The Scelbi, Mark‐8 Altair, IBM 5100, Apple I and II, TRS‐80, and the Commodore Pet ( With a tape cassette for memory etc. ) ,Computers were the forerunners in this area.

While expensive, these machines started the trend for Computers within common households.

One of the most major breakthroughs in Computer software occurred in 1978 with the release of the VisiCalc Spreadsheet program.

All development costs were paid for within a two‐week period of time, which makes this one of the most successful programs in Computer history.

1979 was perhaps one of the most important years for the home Computer user.

This is the year that WordStar, the first word processing program, was released to the public for sale, and hailed as a breakthrough for the typing pool.

This drastically altered the usefulness of Computers for the everyday user.

The IBM Home Computer quickly helped revolutionize the consumer market in 1981, as it was affordable for home owners and standard consumers. 1981 also saw the mega‐giant

Microsoft enter the scene with the MS‐DOS operating system. ( Apologies to Bill Gates for skipping over him so quickly )

This operating system utterly changed computing forever, as it was easy enough for everyone to learn.


 * Competition Begins : Apple vs. Microsoft**

Computers saw yet another vital change during the year of 1983.

The Apple Lisa Computer was the first with a graphical user interface, or a GUI. Most modern programs contain a GUI, which allows them to be easy to use and pleasing for the eyes. ( Interesting to note that they still have an edge with graphics )

This marked the beginning of the outdating of most text based only programs.


 * Finally**

Beyond this point in Computer history, many changes, and alterations have occurred, from the Apple‐Microsoft wars, to the developing of microComputers, and a variety of Computer breakthroughs that have become an accepted part of our daily lives.

Without the initial first steps of Electric Computer history, none of this would have been possible.

All of it a series of Zeros ( 0 ) and Ones ( 1 ) positives and minuses

Blows the mind away