1. What is the COMPUTER?
Tags: History, Computer Science, History Of Computer, Computers, Starter

Introduction

I have seen an article that recent young people are more familiar with smartphones than computers. Fortunately, born in the 1970s~1990s people were able to join the advancement of computers, the advent of the Internet, and the advent of smartphones from the early mobile phones(feature phones).

The advent of computers that can do conventional analog things in an instant was a huge innovation. However, Gen Zers born after 2000 have been accustomed to smartphones since they were in elementary school or before, and feel that computers are unnecessary. But computers are not superfluous.

In fact, a smartphone has all the components of a computer and can be seen as an evolutionary form of a computer. It’s like a big calculator has become a small box-sized computer and it has evolved into a notebook-sized laptop. I hope that people who do not know computers will be friendly with computers, so I will collect data and write this series.

1.1. Etymology of computer

The etymology of the computer comes from the Latin computare, com and putare. com means to be together and putare means to think. In the UK, the word Compute has been used for a long time in the sense of Calculate, that is, to calculate, and it is said that computer is used to mean a person who calculates. As people used various tools, the machine that functions as a person who calculates was called a computer.

1.2. Computer history

The first computer is believed to be an abacus. Computers that match the word used by modern people began with IBM’s Personal Computer (PC) in the 1980s and Apple’s Macintosh and have been developed to this day. There is a lot of opinion that the computer that started the IBM PC was a computer with a punched card made by Herman Hollerith. In the 1880s, it took more than seven years to tabulate the results of the US Census. This led the U.S. government to find a way to get the job done quickly, which Herman Hollerith solved.

Modern computers naturally support complex calculations and refer to products that enrich human life by executing documents, network communication, web browsing for Internet surfing, and various programs. In a macroscopic sense, Program can also be replaced with the word Application familiar to the smartphone generation.

IBM PC 5150 (1981), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer

Macintosh 128K (1984), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh

Representative history of computers

1801

France, Joseph Marie Jacquard

Invented a loom that automatically weaves fabric designs using perforated wooden cards

France, Joseph Marie Jacquard Invented a loom that automatically weaves fabric designs using perforated wooden cards 1822

England, Charles Babbage

A steam-powered calculation machine is devised that can calculate a table of numbers, but the project fails.

England, Charles Babbage A steam-powered calculation machine is devised that can calculate a table of numbers, but the project fails. 1890

USA, Herman Hollerith

Machine development using punched cards.

USA, Herman Hollerith Machine development using punched cards. 1936

UK, Alan Turing

Presenting the concept of Turing machines (general-purpose machines capable of calculating everything that can be calculated).

Becomes the central concept of modern computers.

UK, Alan Turing Presenting the concept of Turing machines (general-purpose machines capable of calculating everything that can be calculated). Becomes the central concept of modern computers. 1941

USA, Atanasoff, Clifford Berry

Computer design capable of solving 29 equations simultaneously

First computer capable of storing information in main memory.

USA, Atanasoff, Clifford Berry Computer design capable of solving 29 equations simultaneously First computer capable of storing information in main memory. 1943~1944

USA, John Mauchly, J. Presper Eckert

Developed ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator)

Eniac is considered the grandfather of digital computers, measuring 20 by 40 feet and holding 18,000 vacuum tubes.

USA, John Mauchly, J. Presper Eckert Developed ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) Eniac is considered the grandfather of digital computers, measuring 20 by 40 feet and holding 18,000 vacuum tubes. 1946

USA, John Mauchly, J. Presper Eckert

UNIVAC (UNIVersal Automatic Computer)

The first commercial computer for business and government.

USA, John Mauchly, J. Presper Eckert UNIVAC (UNIVersal Automatic Computer) The first commercial computer for business and government. 1974~1977

Personal computers are released.

Scelbi & Mark-8 / Altair

IBM / 5100 (the first portable computer, 25kg)

Radio Shack / TRS-80

Commodore / PET

Personal computers are released. Scelbi & Mark-8 / Altair IBM / 5100 (the first portable computer, 25kg) Radio Shack / TRS-80 Commodore / PET 1981

USA, IBM

Acorn launch

Popularization of PC terminology.

USA, IBM Acorn launch Popularization of PC terminology. 1981

USA, Osborne Computer

Launch of Osborne 1, the first personal laptop computer.

USA, Osborne Computer Launch of Osborne 1, the first personal laptop computer. 1983

USA, Apple Computer

Launch of Lisa, the first personal computer with GUI.

USA, Apple Computer Launch of Lisa, the first personal computer with GUI. 1984

UK, Psion

Launch of the first electronic dictionary, Scion Organizer.

UK, Psion Launch of the first electronic dictionary, Scion Organizer. 1989

USA, GRiD Systems Corporation

Launch of the first tablet computer GRiDPad.

USA, GRiD Systems Corporation Launch of the first tablet computer GRiDPad. 1992

IBM’s first smartphone Simon development

IBM’s first smartphone Simon development 1993

USA, Apple Computer

Newton message pad released

First use of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) term.

1.3. Type of computer

I’ll just go over the classification by size.

1.3.1. Super computer

Super computer used by the Meteorological Agency. It’s not necessarily the case, but you can think of it as a large and expensive computer that would normally occupy an entire room. Since it is mainly for complex arithmetic and scientific operations, it can be called a super computer if it is small in size in terms of functionality but has excellent performance.

1.3.2. Desktop

Imagine that the square computer you normally use at home. It is a computer whose main purpose is to write personal documents, work on graphics, enjoy media, and play games.

1.3.3. Laptop

Lap-Top is meaning that it can be used while resting on your lap. In general, think of a notebook computer. However, laptops have a broader meaning than laptop computers.

1.3.4. Plamtop

It is called Palmtop, meaning that it can be used on the palm of your hand. PDA is one of the representative palmtop products and is the Personal Digital Assistant. In the late 1990s or early 2000, when popularization first began, some people used it for diary purposes, but it will be easy to understand if you think of the portable credit-card terminals.

1.3.5. Mobile computer (Tablet, Smart phone)

I grouped the categories of tablet and smartphone. These two concepts are also included in palmtops, but since smartphones appeared after the industry defined palmtops, they were classified separately. It supports various calculations, application execution, and web browsing that can be done on a general computer, as well as functions such as phone calls and text messages through mobile networks.

1.3.6. Wearable computer

It is a wearing computer that began to appear in earnest in late 2010. This includes glasses for VR (Virtual Reality), robots worn by humans used for rehabilitation treatment, and transportation of objects.