First Lesson – History of Computer

Definition of Computer
• Computer is a programmable machine.
• Computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions.
• Computer is any device which aids humans in performing various kinds of computations or calculations.

Abacus
• An abacus is a mechanical device used to aid an individual in performing mathematical calculations.
• The abacus was invented in Babylonia in 2400 B.C.
• The abacus in the form we are most familiar with was first used in China in around 500 B.C.
• It used to perform basic arithmetic operations.

Napier’s Bones
• Invented by John Napier in 1614.
• Allowed the operator to multiply, divide and calculate square and cube roots by moving the rods around and
placing them in specially constructed boards.

Slide Rule
• Invented by William Oughtred in 1622.
• Is based on Napier's ideas about logarithms.
• Used primarily for – multiplication – division – roots – logarithms – Trigonometry
• Not normally used for addition or subtraction.

Pascaline
• Invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642.
• It was its limitation to addition and subtraction.
• It is too expensive.

Stepped Reckoner
• Invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672.
• The machine that can add, subtract, multiply and divide automatically.
• Jacquard Loom
• The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881.
• It an automatic loom controlled by punched cards.
Difference Engine and Analytical Engine
• It an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions.
• Invented by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834
• It is the first mechanical computer.

First Computer Programmer

• In 1840, Augusta Ada Byron suggests to Babbage that he use the binary system.
• She writes programs for the Analytical Engine.

Tabulating Machine
• Invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890.
• To assist in summarizing information and accounting.

Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)

• It was the first electronic digital computing device.
• Invented by Professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry at Iowa State University between
1939 and 1942.

Harvard Mark 1
• Also known as IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC).
• Invented by Howard H. Aiken in 1943
• The first electro-mechanical computer.

ENIAC
• ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.
• It was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
• Completed in 1946.
• Developed by John Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly.

EDVAC
• EDVAC stands for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer
• The First Stored Program Computer
• Designed by Von Neumann in 1952.
• It has a memory to hold both a stored program as well as data.
UNIVAC 1
• The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer 1) was the first commercial computer.
• Designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.

Computer Generations
There are five generations of computer:

• First generation – 1946 - 1958

• Second generation – 1959 - 1964
• Third generation – 1965 - 1970
• Fourth generation – 1971 - today
• Fifth generation – Today to future

The First Generation

• The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often
enormous, taking up entire rooms.
• They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of
heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions.
• First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood
by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time.
• Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.

The Second Generation

• Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers.
• One transistor replaced the equivalent of 40 vacuum tubes.
• Allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable.
• Still generated a great deal of heat that can damage the computer.
• Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly,
languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words.
• Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.
• These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a
magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.

The Third Generation

• The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers.
• Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased
the speed and efficiency of computers.
• Much smaller and cheaper compare to the second-generation computers.
 • It could carry out instructions in billionths of a second.
• Users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an
operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central
program that monitored the memory.
• Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper
than their predecessors.

The Fourth Generation

• The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were
built onto a single silicon chip.
• As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which
eventually led to the development of the Internet.
• Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.

The Fifth Generation

• Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Still in development.
• The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.
• The goal is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-
organization.
• There are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today.

Lesson – 3, Types of computers

Microcomputers (Personal Computer)

• A microcomputer is the smallest general purpose processing system.
• They are designed to be used by one person at a time.
• Ram 64MB, 128MB, 512MB, 1GB.
• Its CPU is microprocessor
• Has separate components (keyboard, mouse, etc.)
• Examples: - IBM PCs, APPLE computers Microcomputer can be classified
• Desktops
• Portables
• Hand-helds

Mainframe
• Mainframe computers can support hundreds or thousands of users, handling massive amounts of input,
output, and storage.
• Mainframe computers are used in large organizations where many users need access to shared data and
programs.
• Mainframes are also used as ecommerce servers, handling transactions over the Internet.
Super computer
• They are those computers which are designed for scientific job like whether forecasting and artificial
intelligence etc. They are fastest and expensive. A super computer contains a number of CPU which operate
in parallel to make it faster. It also known as grandfather computer.
• Application – weather forecasting, weapons research and development.

Minicomputer
• It is a class of multi-user Computer that lies between the largest Multi-user systems (mainframe computer)
and the smallest Microcomputers or personal computers.
– Mainframe computers are used to run commercial applications and other large-scale computing
purposes.
– It is also used in banking and insurance businesses.
– For example, millions of records, each day.

Digital Computers
• Digital Computers: information are represented using the digits 0s and 1s. The computers that we use at our
homes and offices are digital computers.
• Digital signals have two states, on or off. The off state is usually zero volts, and the high state is typically five
volts. 
• Perform mathematical calculations, compare values and store results. A digital computer coordinates its
signals with a master clock.
• The clock’s speed determines the computer’s overall speed

Analog Computer
• Analog Computers: The earliest computers were analog computers.
• Analog signals are continuous. They may have any value between two extremes, such as -15 and +15 volts.
An analog signal’s voltage may be constant or vary with time.
• Analog computers are used for measuring of parameters such as temperature, speedometer in your car,
pressure and voltage.
Software
• Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer data and instructions, often broken into
two major categories: system software that provides the basic nontask-specific functions of the computer,
and application software which is used by users to accomplish specific tasks.

Software Types

• System software: - is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the individual hardware
components of a computer system so that other software and the users of the system see it as a functional
unit without having to be concerned with the low-level details such as transferring data from memory to
disk, or rendering text onto a display. Generally, system software consists of an operating system and some
fundamental utilities such as disk formatters, file managers, display managers, text editors, user
authentication (login) and management tools, and networking and device control software.

• Application software: - is used to accomplish specific tasks other than just running the computer system.
Application software may consist of a single program, such as an image viewer; a small collection of
programs (often called a software package) that work closely together to accomplish a task, such as a
spreadsheet or text processing system; a larger collection (often called a software suite) of related but
independent programs and packages that have a common user interface or shared data format, such as
Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc.; or a
software system, such as a database management system, which is a collection of fundamental programs
that may provide some service to a variety of other independent applications.

Comparison Application Software and System Software

System Software Application Software
• Computer software, or just • Application software, also known
software is a general term as an application or an "app", is
primarily used for digitally computer software designed to
stored data such as help the user to perform specific
computer programs and tasks.
other kinds of information
read and written by
computers. App comes
under computer software
though it has a wide scope
now.
• Example: • Microsoft Windows • Opera (Web Browser)
• Linux • Microsoft Word (Word Processing)
• Unix • Microsoft Excel (Spreadsheet
• Mac OSX software)
• 5) DOS • MySQL (Database Software)
• Microsoft PowerPoint
(Presentation Software)
• 6) Adobe Photoshop (Graphics
Software)
• Interaction: • Generally, users do not • Users always interact with
interact with system application software while doing
software as it works in the different activities.
background.
• Dependency: • System software can run • Application software cannot run
independently of the without the presence of the
application software. system software.