Computer History

I produced this lecture several years ago. History is history so most of what's said is still accurate. The links to many of the historical figures change from time to time . . . if a link does not work let me know and I will fix it. Check out Moore's Law as a matter of curiosity.

Forerunners

    
Blaise Pascal (1642) - mechanical calculating machine,  could add and subtract     

Charles Babbage (1800s) - Father of the computer (difference & analytical engines)

  
Ada,Countess of Lovelace (1800s) - Given credit for being first programmer     

  
Herman Hollerith Tabulating Machines and Punched cards --1890 population census Tabulating Machine Co. Merged to form IBM 1924     

 
Thomas Watson, Sr.  Driving force of IBM, commissioned Howard Aiken (1940s) to develop Mark I (still electromechanical)     

 
John Atanasoff (1939) - Built first electronic digital computer  - ABC (model) .  In 1974 Federal courts gave him credit for being the true originator of the first electronic computer     

 
ENIAC (1946) - First full scale electronic computer built by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert for the WWII effort Based on Atanasoff's model - 2-2 1/2 hours before breakdown; program by soldering wires; one program took days or weeks

 
Moore's Law The power of the CPU would increase exponetially.         

 
EDSAC First Computer with stored programs

 
 John Von Neumann Given credit for stored program concept    

 
UNIVAC I (1951) - First computer used commercially. Also by Mauchly and Eckert (Eniac in disguise); U.S. Steel first to use; 14, 000 tubes, low wattage each - about the same electricy as 14,000 100-watt light bulbs
 

Computer Generations

First Generation  (1951 - 1958)

Vacuum tubes, main logic element
Magnetic drum memory - punched card input and secondary storage
Machine language - Assembler languages

Now here's a bit of future history ???

Second Generation (1959 - 1964)

Transistors (Bell Labs)
Magnetic core memory - magnetic tape and disk secondary storage
High-level languages - Fortran (Formula Translator) and COBOL (Common        Business Oriented Language)

Third Generation (1965 - 1970)

Integrated Circuits (IC) - Silicon chips
Semi-conductor memory (ICs)
IBM 360 series - family of computers - upward compatibility
Operating systems - Time Sharing
Minicomputers - making computing available to medium and small business

Fourth Generation (1971 - ?)

Microprocessor - computer on a chip (ICs)            LSI VLSI ULSI (Large Scale Integration)
Microcomputers - Productivity software

Fifth Generation (? - ?)

Japan's Challenge
Artificial Intelligence
Natural Languages

Modern Names

 
Dr. Ted Hoff  Microprocessor (given credit for microprocessor)
 
 
Steve Jobs, Apple Computer

 
Steve Wozniak  Apple Computer
   
    
Bill Gates Microsoft MS-DOS (1980 to biggest in the world) - and in 20??