The Growth of Information

Mr. Dave Schmidt

Phase 1: Ancient Machines

Phase 2: Mechanical

Phase 3: Vacuum Tube

Phase 4: Transistors

Phase 5: Microchips

Phase 6: Wireless Communications

The Phases of Computer History

Webster’s Dictionary (1980) defines it. Today, the word computer refers to computing devices, whether or not they are electronic, programmable, or capable of ‘storing and retrieving’ data.

What is a Computer?

Abacus Mesopotamian, 2700–2300 BC

Egyptian, Persian, Greeks, and Roman, and Chinese

Tool for learning the decimal system.

Napier Bones use for multiplication and division. Logarithms , early 1600’s

Phase 1 : Ancient Machines

Persian Astrolabe, 150 BC Naval Navigational tool.

Blaise Pascal, Mathematician,17th Century Pascaline

Slide ruler

Phase 1 : Ancient Machines, continued

Charles Babbage is considered as the father of computers.

1822, The “Difference Engine” Multiply, Divide, Polynomials.

Cost of the Difference Engine was really high. In today’s economy this machine would cost over $1 Million, and weighed a ton. Not easy to move around.

Phase 2: Mechanical

Joseph Jacquard Jacquard’s Loom, 1762 Use for calculations. Punch Cards. Not cost effective Not movable. Difficult to input problems.

Phase 2: Mechanical continued

Tabulating Machine, 1889 Herman Hollerith US Census, 1o years, reduce

reporting from 8 years to less than 2 years. Use of punch cards Punch card are entered into

the machines and dials will move accordingly.

Computing Tabulating Recording Company now it is called International Business Machines (IBM)

Phase 2: Mechanical continued.

Tomas Edison’s Light Bulb was the necessary agent for the next group of electionic computers. Mark I, 1943 Harvard professors built it. Grace Hopper, “debugging”. 2,000 vacuum tubes. Mark 1 will be down more

than working.

Phase 3: Vacuum Tube

The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer), 1946 Use for WWII Ballistic Research To do different operations in Math

the ENIAC has to be rewired. 17,468 vacuum tubes Air Condition to 30o to keep tubes

from bursting. Cost $500,000 (today about $6

million. Would not fit in this room. Power of electricity was huge.

UNIVAC, 1951 made by General Electric.

Phase 3: Vacuum Tube

Oskar Heil patent the Transistors,1947 Cost effective Use less power. More reliable Less wiring making computers “smaller”.

IBM 360, 1964 Punch Cards size of a $1 bill

VAX computers, 1970’s

Phase 4: Transistors

Altair 8800, 1975; First desktop computer No monitor, no keyboard,

8”floppy disk drive. Sold for $250. People like Paul Allen, Bill Gates,

Steve Job and others learn from this computer. Computer language Basic.

TRS80, Radio Shack,

Apple 1 and 2

Commodore 64

Phase 5: Microchips 1970’s and 1980’s

Compaq Windows Office 98 brought the Internet into the home. Many PCs were geared with the modem to get into the Internet. Computers continue to get smaller, but more storage RAM and ROM capability. Many of the computers we are using today in classes. Networking, Multitasking. DELL, HP, MACs

Phase 5: Microchips 1990’s and 2,000’s

We are now going into a new phase of computing. With WIFI and Cell phone capabilities, computers

can be found anywhere. Using travel time on planes and trains to complete

work and turn in work on line to your company is what we do today.

Storage devices, Flash Drives, Exterior Hard Drives, the Cloud.

Tablets and Smart Phones Smart Watches, calling Dick Tracy!

Phase 6: Wireless Communications

What is the future for computers?

http://www.slideshare.net/Amberwasim/computer-stages-of-development

And many other sites for to validate information.

Bibliography