Personal computers have completely revolutionized the way the world, lives, works and conducts business. Strictly-speaking, computers arrived on the scene way back in 1936 when one Konrad Zuse produced what was then called the Z1 computer. This was a cumbersome machine that could perform simple calculations and also crunch simple data. This was not as sophisticated as what we have today but it served to set the foundation for further research and in 1944, John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry from Iowa University built on this model and produced several innovations of the computer which was capable of producing arithmetic calculations, parallel [processing, memory regeneration and other simple computing tasks. The research was taken further at Harvard University, then IBM, the business conglomerate joined the fray and in 1953 produced what was then the world’s first sophisticated computer. Even then, it was still large, occupying entire floors and consuming untold power.
As we have mentioned, computers have completely changed the way we live and work. Today, computers are in almost every office. There are still offices in some parts of the world which still don’t have computers but this is now rare because without computers, work is inefficient and cumbersome. Take for instance calculations. It would take days for companies to do simple calculations not to mention companies that deal with lots of material and inventory. Computers make this work simple and allow businesses to become more efficient on a day to day basis.
Another use of computers is communication. With computers has come the wondrous world of the Internet or what is called in other circles, the World Wide Web or Information Superhighway. As much as computer has changed the way we work, they have also revolutionized the way we communicate. The term “the world is a smaller place” or phrases like “global market place”. This is because the Internet has made communication so easy and seamless that there has people can communicate instantaneously regardless of what part of the globe they are located. The world of email, although it hasn’t completely resulted in the eradication of snail mail, has nevertheless caused a decline in visits to the post office or the purchase of stamps. All this is because people now sit behind a computer and email back and forth. To go even further, specialized Internet software run by many major companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Google has made it possible to chat in real time with someone on the other side of the globe. Video conferencing has also been made possible. This has completely changed the way we conduct meetings. Businesses can now even open branches in other countries faster because the top level management can communicate with lower management via video conferencing. People can actually see each other regardless of where they are located and all this is courtesy of the advent of computers and the Internet. Computers have evolved a lot since and are now in almost half of all US households and most offices in the rest of the world.
By: Theodor Cartman
Posts Tagged ‘Konrad Zuse’
Computer History and Impact of Computers to the World
April 12th, 2010The Evolution of Technology – The History of Computers
March 7th, 2010
While computers are now an important part of the lives of human beings, there was a time where computers did not exist. Knowing the history of computers and how much progression has been made can help you understand just how complicated and innovative the creation of 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 Beginning
Perhaps the most significant date in the history of computers is the year 1936. It was in this year that the first “computer” 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 wasn’t 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. Those next ten years say 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.
A Programming Language Evolves
A year later, the first successful high level programming language was created. This was a programming language not written in ‘assembly’ 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 wasn’t until 1959 that the pair of systems were 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 “tail” leading out of the device.
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 wasn’t 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. 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.
Household PC’s Emerge
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 computers were the forerunners in this area. While expensive, these machines started the trend for computers within common households.
One of the most major breathroughs 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. 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 the mega-giant Microsoft enter the scene with the MS-DOS operating system. This operating system utterly changed computing forever, as it was easy enough for everyone to learn.
The 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. This marked the beginning of the out dating of most text based only programs.
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 computer history, none of this would have been possible.
By: Rebecca Blain
