History of Computer Systems
Early Computing Devices
| Device | Inventor/Origin | Date | Key Features | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abacus | Unknown, used in various cultures | Ancient times | Beads or stones on rods or wires; manually operated | Arithmetic calculations by sliding beads to represent numerical values |
| Napier'sBones | John Napier, Scotland | 17th century | 9 separate strips (bones) marked with numerals; first decimal-calculating device | Multiplication and division |
| Pascaline | Blaise Pascal, France | 1642 | Wooden box with gears and wheels; mechanical and automated calculator | Arithmetic calculations; early mechanical device |
| Stepped Reckoner | Wilhelm Leibniz, Germany | 1673 | Grooved wheels; digital mechanical calculator | Improved on Pascal'sinvention; used for arithmetic calculations |
| Difference Engine | Charles Babbage, England | 1820s | Mechanical computer capable of basic computations; steam-powered | Solving numerical problems |
| Analytical Engine | Charles Babbage, England | 1830 | Mechanical computer; input from punch cards; capable of solving mathematical problems and storing data | More advanced computations and data storage |
| Tabulating Machine | Herman Hollerith, USA | 1890 | Punch card-based mechanical calculator | Computing statistics and recording data; used in census calculations World Wide |
| Differential Analyzer | Vannevar Bush, USA | 1930 | First electrical computer; made up of vacuum tubes used as switches | Capable of performing complex calculations; used for scientific computations |
| Mark 1 | Howard Aiken, USA | 1944 | Digital computer; could add three numbers with eight digits in one second; printed results on punched cards or electric typewriter | Early digital computing; performed arithmetic operations quickly; used for complex calculations |
Timeline of Early Computing Devices
Computer Generations
| Feature | First Generation (1940-1956) | Second Generation (1956-1963) | Third Generation (1963-1971) | Fourth Generation (1971-Present) | Fifth Generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | Vacuum tubes | Transistors | Integrated Circuits (ICs) | LSI and VLSI chips, microprocessors | AI technologies, advanced parallel processing |
| Processing Speed | Slow | Improved | Enhanced | Exceptional | Advanced |
| Memory Capacity | Limited | Improved | Enhanced | Large | Advanced |
| Size | Massive, occupying entire rooms | Smaller | Reduced | Small | Varies, generally compact |
| Cost | High | Reduced | Reduced | Affordable | Varies, generally high due to advanced tech |
| Reliability | Unreliable | Increased | Improved | High | High |
| Power Consumption | High, significant heat generation | Reduced | Improved energy efficiency | Low | Varies |
| Input/Output Methods | Punched cards, electric typewriters | Punch card readers, magnetic tapes, printers | Keyboards, monitors | Portable and wireless devices | Voice recognition, gesture-based controls |
| Programming Language | Machine language | Assembly language, high-level languages (FORTRAN, COBOL) | High-level languages | Modern programming languages | Natural Language Processing |
| Examples | ENIAC, UNIVAC I, IBM 604, Mark-1, EDSAC | UNIVAC II, IBM 7030, General Electric GE 635, CDC 1604 | IBM System/360, Control Data Corporation 3300, 6600 | Intel Pentium series, IBM ThinkPad, HP Pavilion, Dell Inspiron, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air | Advanced AI systems |
| User Interaction | Via punched cards | Punch card readers, magnetic tapes, printers | Keyboards, monitors | GUIs | Voice, gesture-based controls |
| Software Capability | Very limited | Improved, high-level programming | Multiple applications concurrently | Diverse software, multimedia support | Expert Systems, AI-based applications |