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Luke Porach

Mrs. Smith

English IV AP

22 November 2016

The History of Computers and Programming

Since the dawn of time, humans have done everything they can to make difficult and

complicated tasks easier and simpler. Originally this was done by creating tools, such as

hammers, axes, and spears. Since then, the human race has evolved significantly, and so

have our tools. We now have phones, computers, and gaming consoles, all capable of

things that would be unimaginable to people in the past. In fact, a basic smartphone today,

while comparably slow to some of todays computers, has 36,200 times the amount of

memory as the computer used by Apollo 11 to put men on the Moon. However it is not

only the technology that has evolved but the programming. Without programming,

computers would not be able to do anything; no matter how powerful it is, it cannot

function without a program telling it what to do. This too has evolved alongside

technology, and has had a huge effect on daily life and society.

The conception of the computer was brought about by a need to solve problems

that would take humans years to solve. In 1880, the population of the United States of

America had grown to the point that it would have taken more than seven years to tabulate

the results.(Zimmermann) However, the government needed a faster way to get this done.

Thus came millions of dollars in funding from the government to help someone create a
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machine to do this for them. However, primitive computers existed even before this. In

1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a loom that would use punched wooden cards to

automatically weave certain designs. An idea for a steam powered computer to calculate

tables of numbers that was funded by the English government never came to fruition. In

1890, a man named Herman Hollerith designed a punch card system to calculate the 1880

census. This man would go on to found a company that would later become IBM.

However, computers and their programs would have to evolve much further in order to

solve more complicated problems. (ArXiv)

In 1936, Alan Turing presented the idea of a machine that could compute anything

that was computable. A concept later known as the Turing Machine, would become the

basis of ideas about the modern computer. In 1947, William Shockley, John Bardeen, and

Walter Brattain of Bell Laboratories invented the transistor. Until then, computers ad to

function off of hundreds, if not thousands of vacuum tubes. But with the invention of the

transistor, computers became much smaller. In 1958, Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce unveil

their invention of the integrated circuit, also known as the computer chip. With this

breakthrough, the Turing Machine, universal computer became less of a wild dream, and

more of a possibility. In I964, Douglas Engelbart demonstrated his first prototype of the

modern computer. This was the first computer to feature not only a mouse, which is almost

a necessity now, but also a graphical user interface. This marked the first time that

computers might become accessible to the general public, rather than staying as specialized

machines for scientists and businesses. However businesses needed a way to share

information. (Ceruzzi)
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In 1971, this problem as solved with the invention of the floppy disk. This was the first

time that computers could have data shared between them. In 1973, Robert Metcalfe

develops Ethernet to connect multiple computers to share information between them. For

many businesses, this was much more efficient than using floppy disks to share

information between computers. In the 1970s, many of the first computers for public use

were created from companies such as IBM, Commodore, and Radio Shack. On April

fourth, 1975, two child-hood friends create a company after writing software. These two

kids were Paul Allen and Bill Gates, and the company was Microsoft. On April first, 1976,

their largest competitor would be founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak; Apple.

As most of the major breakthroughs in computers have been founded, they slowly

continue to get better, with computers becoming smaller, stronger, better, and faster.

However the programming behind it continues to change. When machines were first

starting to be programmed, they had to be given the exact code that was used, known as

assembly code or machine language. When programs were made like this, it could take

weeks, or even months, to program a machine to do its task. However over time, new

languages that are simpler for programs have been created. In 1954, FORTRAN, one of the

first of these languages, was created. While much simpler than machine language, the early

programming languages were still much more complicated than the ones in existence

today. In I964, programming became more accessible to the public with the birth of

BASIC. This simple code allowed people to do simple things with simple commands, such

as print messages on screen. However some people, willing to use many hours of time,

created entire games, typing several thousand lines of code. (Ferguson)

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Today, the coding languages are capable of much more, using much less code. With the

creation of Java in 1995, the idea of cross platform functionality (DuPaul) became a

possibility. People could write programs on Java to run on not only Windows computers,

but Apple and Linux computers without having to change the code to allow it to work.

Because of this, many programmers that were formerly divided on which type of computer

they wanted to be able to run their program on, could write in Java to avoid his problem.

Many other programming languages, such as python. Perl, ruby, and C, although created in

the l990s, are still able to work as the base of the majority of technology today. Without

these languages, things that are near necessities, such as the internet and phones, would

have no way to function.

To say that the evolution of technology has changed society would be an

understatement."(Valliere) As technology has evolved and grown throughout the years, it

has changed the fundamentals of society. While all advances in technology change things,

some have bigger changes than others. For example the development of communication,

instant entertainment, and information accessibility, have all had major effects on the

world as we know it. While seemingly basic parts of life today, it would be unimaginable

to a person who lived before they were invented.

As communication through technology becomes easier, it allows people to talk

over distances that would make it much more difficult than in the past. While this easier

form of communication through cell phones, e-mails, and other messaging services, allows

people to talk to other people all over the world, most people use it to stay in touch with

people they know. This communication has changed the way that certain important life

challenges are dealt with as well. For example, college used to be somewhere that once
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you went, you maybe were able to talk on the phone with your parents every once in a

while. However in these modern days, solid communication can be kept easily between

parent and child. Some people believe this makes it easier to deal with the tough

challenges of something like college, while others believe that it makes it easier to get

others to help with issues that would be dealt with alone otherwise, which then increases

dependence on parents. Whether it is good or bad, it has no doubt had a huge effect on

society.

Another example of something that has changed society is the development of

instant entertainment. As this has developed, many people feel as though it has made many

people growing up with it more needy, and less able to pay attention. As it becomes easier

and easier to always be doing something, be it playing games on a phone, computer,

gaming console, or watching shows, the ability to do this has changed the way many kids

do things. Rather than go outside and play, they stay indoors and play video games. While

in moderation this can be okay, to the extreme it can be a problem. Many people have

something to entertain them at almost any in time just sitting in their pockets. Different

people have different opinions on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it has no

doubt had a major effect on society.

One last thing that has changed society is the accessibility of information. With

information becoming easier and easier to access through the use of phones, computers, or

more generally, the internet, many people are able to do things they would not be able to

do otherwise. For example, if a man discovers that something about his car is broken, and

needs to be repaired or replaced. He has two basic options. Find a mechanic near him and

pay for the fix, or find out how to do it himself, which could save money and be a useful
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skill to know in the future. The ability to quickly access a mountain of information like the

internet allows many people the freedom to complete do-it-yourself projects in their home

that would require much more time and research in the past. One of the only downsides to

this is the fact that books based on helping people do something are slowly becoming

obsolete, as many people find it easier to just look to the internet to find the information

they need.

In conclusion, overall technology has had an enormous effect on the fundamentals

of society. Whether it is a good one or a bad one, the impact is unable to be avoided. While

I believe that most of the changes have been for the better, many people would disagree.

And no matter what new advances in technology are founded there is one thing that is

definite; without a doubt, any new progression in technology has the chance to change the

way that people look at their daily lives.

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Works Cited

ArXiv, Emerging Technology from the. The Evolution of Computer Science. MIT

Technology Review. MIT 03 June 2010. Web. Sept. 2016.

Ceruzzi, Paul E. A History of Modern Computing. London, Eng.: MIT, 2003. Print.

Ferguson, Andrew. A History of Programming Languages Infographic. A History of

Programming Languages. Brown University, Apr.-May 2000. 14 Sept. 2016.

DuPaul, Neil. The History of Programming Languages Infographic. Veracode.

Secure Development, 21 Jan. 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

Valliere, Stephen. Personal interview. 2 August 2016.

Zimmermann, Kim. History of Computers: A Brief Timeline. LiveScience. TechMedia

Network, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.