history of computing hardware
Ada Byron
Countess of Lovelace. she recognized several important programming techniques, such as: conditional branches, iterative loops and index variables. she further worked on Babbage's Anatycal Engine - her notes include what is recognized as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.
Fith Generation (1980-till date)
ULSI (Ultra Lagre Scale Intergration) technology - resulted in the production of microprocessor chips (having 10 million electronic components); storage: parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software; programming language: all high-level languages (C, C++, Java, .Net); operating system: AI [development of artificial intelligence, Natural language processing, advancement in Parallel Processing, more user friendly interfaces with multimedia features, availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates] Computer types: Desktop, Laptop, NoteBook, UltraBook, ChromeBook
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration)
VLSI circuits having about 5000 transistors, other circuits and their associated circuits on a single chip made it possible to have microcomputers of fourth generation.
Turing Machine
it was a hypothetical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. This machine was not intended as a practical computing technology, but rather as a hypothetical device representing a computing machine. It helped computer scientists understand the limits of mechanical computation.
Integrated Circuits (IC)
it was invented by Jack Kilby. a singe IC has many transistors, resistors and capacitors along with the associated circuitry. this development made computers smaller in size, more reliable and efficient.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
it's a growing branch in computer science, which interprets means and methods of making computers think like human beings. AI includes: robotics, Neural Networks, Game playing, Development of expert system to make decisions in real life situations, understanding and generation of Natural language
Enigma
this machine was any if several electro-mechanical rotor chipper machines used in the 20th century for enciphering and deciphering secret messages. it was invented at the end to WWI, was commercially used from the 1920s, and was adopted by military and government services during WWII.
Neumann János
1903-1957. after the building experience of ENIAC, he wrote the the "Neumann-principles" - today's computers are still based on this, sequential operation, using the binary number system, the theory of stored program, the use of internal memory
First Generation (1946-1959)
basic components of memory: vacuum tubes; processor (CPU - Central Processing Unit): circuitry; input/output devices: punched cards, paper tape, magnetic tape; operating system: batch processing system; programming language: machine code [produced a lot of heat, very expensive - could be only afforded by large organizations; unreliable; huge size; non-portable; slow input and output devices]
Herman Hollerith
designed a punch-card equipment to tabulate data for the 1890 census (which was one of the first commercial uses of mechanical computers)
Bill Gates
founder of Microsoft, a multinational computer organization on 04.04.1975 along with Paul Allen.
Charles Babbage
incented the Difference Engine, which is considered to the the first multi-purpose, i.e. programmable computing device (1823) - never completed. later he also invented the Analytical Engine (1842) - only partially completed. [he was considered to be a man ahead of his time, and that the only reason he was unable to finish his projects were the fact the the technology of the day was not reliable enough]
Blaise Pascal
invented a mechanical calculator in the early 17'th century, called arithmetic machine - later became known as the Pascaline. it is considered to be the first mechanical calculator in the world
Arthur Scherbius
invented the ENIGMA at the end or WWI.
Alan Turing
invented the Turing Machine in 1936
Gottfried Leibnitz
invented the mechanical calculator. it was the first calculator that could perform all four arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
Fourth Generation (1971-1980)
processor: VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) circuits. - made the use of microcomputers possible; operating system: time sharing, real time, networks, distributed operating system was used (DOS, Windows...); programming language: all high-level programming language (like C, C++, DBASE) [computers became more powerful, compact, portable, reliable, easily available and affordable - rise of personal computer (PC) revolution; concept of the internet was introduced; great developments in the fields of networks]
Third Generation (1965-1971)
used integrated circuits (IC) in place of transistors; operating system: remote processing, time-sharing, multi-programming; programming language: high-level language (FORTRAN II to IV, COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68...) [more reliable, smaller in size, generated less heat, faster, less maintenance, consumed less electricity, still costly]
Second Generation (1959-1965)
used transistors - they were cheaper, consumed less power, more compact in size, more reliable, faster; magnetic cores were used as primary memory; magnetic tape & magnetic disks as secondary storage devices; programming language: assembly language and high-level programming language (like FORTRAN, COBOL); operating system: used batch processing and multiprogramming operating system [reliable, smaller size, generated less heat, consumed less electricity, faster, still very costly]
George Scheutz
with his son he began working on a smaller version of Babbage's Difference Engine, and in 1853 they constructed a machine that could process 15-digit numbers and calculate fourth-order differences. They won a gold medal for this at the Exhibition of Paris (1855) and later sold it for the Dudley Observatory in Albany NY, which used it to calculate the orbit of Mars
