Assignment 1
Computers
Introduction
In this assignment I will briefly outline the history of computers, how they came about, who made the first one and how they have advanced through the years. I will also explain how computers have impacted on other areas of technology.
History
The word “computer” was record in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations, or computations, this word continued with the same meaning until the middle of the 19th century were the word began to take on a new meaning, “to describe a machine that carries out computations”.
Many people may think that the first ever computer to be developed would be in the late 1800 early 1900s but that would be incorrect, the first computer was actually made in 1801 by Joseph Marie Jaquard who developed a machine that used punched paper cards as a template to weave intricate patterns automatically. Though this may seem basic it was a important step in development of computers because it used punched cards to define woven patterns and this can be view as an early form of programmability, albeit limited.
It was 1837 when the fusion of automatic calculations with programmability that produced the first recognizable computers. Charles Babbage was the first person to utilize this technology to design a fully programmable mechanical computer, his analytical engine. Due to limited finances and inability to resist tinkering with the design this device was never completed. It was not until 1880s that Hermon Hollerith invented the next big step in computing which was inventing the recording of data on a machine readable medium (more commonly known these days as the Hard Disk Drive or HDD), Prior uses of computers had been just an input system or controller and not used to store Data. It really wasn’t till 1936 till what you would call modern computers really came into existence.
Impaction on other Technologys...