Computer Technology

(From Analog to Digital Age)

1200 AD Abacus
It is the first computing device developed by the Chinese. The abacus is
made up of beads or pebbles arranged in rows that represent values to facilitate
calculation. Up to the present, some Chinese merchants still use the abacus
1614 Napiers Bone
Invented by John Napier, it can perform multiplication and division. It
contains a set of 11 sticks which were bones, and used by placing them side by
side.
1632 Oughtreds Slide Rule
Developed by William Oughtred, it consists of two movable rulers places side
by side. Sliding thee rulers can do multiplication and division.
1642 Pascaline Machine
Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, invented this machine. He used the
principle of abacus, but instead of moving the beads manually, it worked
mechanically and can add and subtract by means of rotating ten-toothed wheels
and cogs.
1694 Leibnitz Calculator (First Calculator)
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz improved the work of Pascal. He made a
machine that can perform the four fundamental operations (adding, subtracting,
multiplication, and division) and even extract square roots.
1780 Jacquard Loom
Another Frenchman invented the first automatic weaving loom that
introduced the use of punched cards. He prepared a stiff card in which the pattern
of a weave was encoded using punched holes that indicated where the thread was
to pass or skip in a weave.
1800 Boolean Algebra
Contributed much in the design of switching circuits for ALU (Arithmetic Logic
Unit) of computers.
1833 Babbages Difference Engine
Charles Babbage invented the first automatic calculator. He developed an
idea of creating a machine that can store numbers and perform arithmetic
computations and logical operations.
1876 William Thomson
He introduced the concept of automatic analog computer which was
designed to solve complex differential equations.
1887 Herman Hollerith
He invented the first electro-mechanical system; the machine helped in the
completion of an 1890 census. He adapted the Jacquards punched card device but
his version involved the use of stiff paper punched with holes. Electricity was used
for the first time in data processing.
1930 Differential Analyzer
It has the first reliable analog computer and was developed by Vannevar
Bush.
1944 MARK I (Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator)

The first electro-mechanical digital computing machine called MARK I was

developed by Howard Aiken. He revised the idea of Babbage, he thought that the
analytical engine could be built using electromechanical power. He proposed his
work to IBM which led to the birth of MARK I.
1945 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
It was the first general-purpose and programmable electronic computer. Dr.
John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert introduced it. ENIAC was a very powerful
machine with the ability to perform a single arithmetic operation in less than a
second. It utilized 18,000 vacuum tubes that worked simultaneously. The size of
this machine required a huge room. However the performance cannot hold
programs simultaneously. The storage capacity is quite small and could easily
process one program at a time.
1949 EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)
It was the first stored-program digital computer. This machine was more
powerful than the ENIAC. This was capable of storing programs inside the
computer itself. It can immediately read the next program from the computer
storage; therefore was able to perform more than one operation at a time.
1951 UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer)
Remington Rand manufactures the UNIVAC. It was the first computer
specifically built for data processing application. This marked the development of a
more advanced electronic digital computer. This computer correctly predicted the
election of Eisenhower as US President.
1963 BASIC (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was developed
at Dartmouth.
1964 IBM System/360 was introduced
1967 The first handheld calculator was produced.
1969 ARPANET was established that led to development of the Internet.
1970 Microprocessor chips came into use; floppy disk was introduced for storing
data.
1975 First pocket calculator was introduced
1977-78 Apple II computer was unveiled.
1978 the 5 floppy disk and Atari Home videogame were developed.
1981 IBM introduced personal computers.
1984 Apple Macintosh, first personal laser printer, desktop publishing were
introduced.
1993 Multimedia desktop computer; personal digital assistants proliferated.
1994 Apple and IBM introduced PCs with built-in full-motion video, wireless data
transmission for small portable computers; web browser was invented.
1997 Computer Network was introduced
1998-2000 Home video computers are used. Teleconferencing replaces a good
portion of business travel.

2001-Present better, faster PCs are made more affordable. Technological

convergence has greatly changed lifestyles. Communications technology
dominates development at almost quantum leap speeds with the
introduction of text messaging, internet surfing, video streaming, on-line
gaming, interactive televiewing, and more via cellphones.