HISTORY OF COMPUTER

 

Understanding Computers

With the onset of the Second World War, the countries involved in the war sought to develop computers to exploit their potential strategic computer. This increased funding for computer development projects hastened technical progress. In 1941, Konrad Zuse, a German engineer to build a computer, the Z3, to design airplanes and missiles.

Computers are tools used to process the data according to the orders that have been formulated. Said the computer was originally used to describe people who perkerjaannya perform arithmetic calculations, with or without a walker, but the word is then transferred to the machine itself. Originally, the processing of information is almost exclusively related to arithmetical problems, but modern computers are used for many tasks unrelated to mathematics.

Broadly, the computer can be defined as an electronic device that consists of several components, which can work together between the components with one another to produce a program based on the information and data. The computer components are included: Screen Monitor, CPU, Keyboard, Mouse and Printer (as a complement). Without a computer printer can still do its job as a data processor, but not limited to the monitor screen looks in print form (paper).

In such definitions are tools such as slide rules, mechanical calculators kind of abacus and so on, until all of the contemporary electronic computers. The term better suited to a broad sense as "computer" is "that process information" or "information processing systems."

Today, computers are becoming more sophisticated. But, before the computer is not as small, sophisticated, cool and light as now. In the history of computers, there are five generations in the history of computers.

Computer generation

The First Generation


 
Allies also made other progress in the development of computer power. In 1943, the British completed a secret code-breaking computer called Colossus to decode German messages secret. The Colossus did not significantly affect the development of the computer industry because of two reasons. First, Colossus was not a versatile computer (general-purpose computer), it was only designed to decode secret messages. Secondly, the existence of the machine was kept secret until decades after the war ended.

The work done by the Americans at that time produced a broader achievement. Howard H. Aiken (1900-1973), a Harvard engineer working with IBM, succeeded in producing electronic calculators for the U.S. Navy. The calculator is a length of half a football field and has a wire range of 500 miles. The Harvard-IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, or Mark I, an electronic relay computer. He uses electromagnetic signals to move the mechanical components. The machine was slow (taking 3-5 seconds per calculation) and inflexible (in order of calculations can not be changed). The calculator can perform basic arithmetic and a more complex equation.

Development of other computers on the present is the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), which is made by the cooperation between the governments of the United States and the University of Pennsylvania. Consisting of 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 5 million soldered joints, the computer is a machine that consumes huge power of 160kW.

This computer was designed by John Presper Eckert (1919-1995) and John W. Mauchly (1907-1980), ENIAC is a versatile computer (general purpose computer) that work 1000 times faster than Mark I.

In the mid-1940s, John von Neumann (1903-1957) joined the University of Pennsylvania team, initiating concepts in computer design that is up to 40 years is still used in computer engineering. Von Neumann designed the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC) in 1945 with a good memory to accommodate the program or data. This technique allows the computer to stop at some point and then resume his job back. The main key to the von Neumann architecture is a central processing unit (CPU), which allowed all computer functions to be coordinated through a single source. 1951, the UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I) made by Remington Rand, became the first commercial computer that utilizes the Von Neumann architecture model.

Both the United States Census Bureau and General Electric have UNIVAC. One of the impressive results achieved by the UNIVAC dalah success in predicting victory Dwilight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election.

First generation computers were characterized by the fact that operating instructions were created specifically for a particular task. Each computer has a different binary code program called "machine language" (machine language). This made the computer difficult to program and the speed limit. Another feature is the use of first generation computer vacuum tube (which makes the computer at that time are very large) and magnetic cylinders for the storage of data.

Second Generation
 

In 1948, the invention of the transistor greatly influenced the development of computers. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in televisions, radios, and computers. As a result, the size of the electric machines is reduced drastically.

The transistor used in computers began in 1956. Other findings in the form of magnetic core memory, a second generation computers smaller, faster, more reliable, and more energy efficient than its predecessor. The first machine that utilizes this new technology is a supercomputer. IBM makes supercomputer named Stretch, and Sprery-Rand called LARC. These computers, which were developed for atomic energy laboratories, could handle large amounts of data, a capability much in demand by atomic scientists. The machine was very expensive and tend to be too complex for business computing needs, thereby limiting. There are only two LARC ever installed and used: one at the Lawrence Radiation Labs in Livermore, California, and the other at the U.S. Navy Research and Development Center in Washington DC Second-generation computers replaced machine language with assembly language. Assembly language is a language that uses abbreviations to replace the binary code.

In the early 1960's, began to appear successful second generation computers in business, in universities and in government. The second generation of computers is a computer which used transistors. They also have components that can be associated with the computer at this time: a printer, storage, disk, memory, operating system, and programs.

One important example is the computer during 1401 are widely accepted in the industry. In 1965, almost all large businesses using second generation computers for financial memprosesinformasi.

Program stored in the computer and programming language that is in it gives flexibility to the computer. Flexibility is increased performance at a reasonable price for business use. With this concept, the computer can print invoices and then run the consumer purchases the product design or calculate payroll. Some programming languages ​​began to appear at that time. Programming language Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) and FORTRAN (Formula Translator) came into common use. These languages ​​replaced cryptic binary machine code with words, sentences, and math formulas more easily understood by humans. This allows a person to program and set the computer. A wide range of emerging careers (programmer, systems analyst, and expert computer systems). Industr software also began to appear and grow during this second-generation computers.

Third Generation
 

Although the transistor is in many ways the vacuum tube, but the transistor generates substantial heat, which could potentially damage the internal parts of the computer. Quartz stone (quartz rock) eliminates this problem. Jack Kilby, an engineer at Texas Instruments, developed the integrated circuit (IC: integrated circuit) in 1958. IC combined three electronic components in a small silicon disc made of quartz sand. Scientists later managed to fit more components into a single chip, called a semiconductor. The result, computers became ever smaller as more components were squeezed onto the chip. Other third-generation development is the use of the operating system (operating system) that enables the machine to run many different programs at once with a central program that monitored and coordinated the computer's memory.

Fourth Generation

After IC, the only place to go was down the size of circuits and electrical components. Large Scale Integration (LSI) could fit hundreds of components onto one chip. In the 1980's, the Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) contains thousands of components on a single chip.

Ultra-Large Scale Integration (ULSI) increased that number into the millions. The ability to put so many components in a chip that berukurang half pushing coins falling computer prices and sizes. It also increased power, efficiency and reliability. Intel chips are made in the year 4004 1971membawa advances in IC by putting all the components of a computer (central processing unit, memory, and control input / output) in a very small chip. Previously, the IC made to do a certain task specific. Now, a microprocessor could be manufactured and then programmed to meet all the requirements. Not long after, every household devices such as microwave ovens, televisions, and automobiles with electronic fuel injection (EFI) is equipped with a microprocessor.

Such developments allow ordinary people to use a regular computer. The computer is no longer a dominance of large companies or government agencies. In the mid-1970s, computer assemblers offer their computer products to the general public. These computers, called minicomputers, sold with the software package that is easy to use by the layman. The most popular software at the time was word processing and spreadsheet programs. In the early 1980's, such as the Atari 2600 video game consumer interest in home computers are more sophisticated and can be programmed.

In 1981, IBM introduced the use of the Personal Computer (PC) for use in homes, offices, and schools. Number of PCs in use jumped from 2 million units in 1981 to 5.5 million units in 1982. Ten years later, 65 million PCs in use. Computers continued evolution towards smaller sizes, from computers that are on the table (desktop computer) into a computer that can be put into bags (laptop), or even a computer that can be grasped (palmtop).

IBM PC to compete with the Apple Macintosh in the fight over the computer market. Apple Macintosh became famous for popularizing the graphical system on his computer, while his rival was still using text-based computer. Macintosh also popularized the use of mouse devices.

At the present time, we know the way to the use of IBM compatible CPU: IBM PC/486, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium IV (series of CPU made by Intel). Also we know AMD K6, Athlon, etc.. This is all included in the class of fourth-generation computers.

Along with the proliferation of computer usage in the workplace, new ways to explore the potential to be developed. Along with the increased strength of a small computer, the computers can be connected together in a network to share a memory, software, information, and also to be able to communicate with each other. Computer network allows a single computer to form electronic co-operation to complete an assignment process. By using direct cabling (also called Local Area Network or LAN), or [telephone cable, the network can become very large.

Fifth Generation

Defining the fifth generation computer becomes quite difficult because the stage is still very young. Imaginative example of fifth generation computer is the fictional HAL9000 computer from the novel by Arthur C. Clarke entitled 2001: Space Odyssey. HAL displays all the desired functionality of a fifth-generation computers. With artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence or AI), HAL may have enough reason to do percapakan with humans, using visual feedback, and learn from his own experience.

Although it may be the realization of the HAL9000 is still far from reality, many of the functions that had been established. Some computers can receive verbal instructions and are able to mimic human reasoning. The ability to translate a foreign language also becomes possible. The facility is deceptively simple. However, such facilities become much more complicated than expected when programmers realized that human understanding relies heavily on context and meaning rather than simply translate words directly.

Many advances in the field of computer design and technology are increasingly enabling the manufacture of fifth generation computers. Two engineering advances which are mainly parallel processing capabilities, which will replace the model of non Neumann. The model will be replaced by non Neumann system capable of coordinating a lot of CPU to work in unison. Another advance is superconductor technology that allows the flow of electrically without any obstacles, which in turn can accelerate the speed of information.

Japan is a country well known in the jargon of socialization and the fifth generation computer project. Institute ICOT (Institute for New Computer Technology) is also formed to make it happen. Many news stating that the project has failed, but some other information that the success of this fifth generation computer project will bring new changes in the world of computing paradigm.