The History of Computers :: Technology Technological Computers Essays

The History of Computers The idea of a machine that would make mans calculations easier, faster, and more accurate is no new notion. The Abacus, Napiers rods, the Calculating Clock, and the Stepped Reckoner are a few examples of early computer ideas In the more recent history of the computer, we can see how computers have morphed (or dwarfed) from clunky, million-dollar machines into the compact and convenient parts of our everyday lives (Computer Science Student Resource Website, 2003, Evolution of Computers From Stone to silicon, function 1). The Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology informs us that John von Neumanns human body is most well-known among the potential founders of the first-year computer, but to whom the credit belongs can be debatedvon Neumann wrote a memorandum explaining the ENIAC, and thus his name is recorded (Academic Press, 2002, Section 2, Historical Perspective). The ENIAC (the Electronic quantitative Integrator and Calculator) was developed by J. Preper Eckert and John Mauchly of the Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania in the mid-1940s. The credit for this invention is shady because Mauchly reportedly visited John Atanasoff before building the ENIAC. Atanasoff and his tweak student Berry built the Atanasoff/Berry Computer in the early 1940s at Iowa State University. At any rate, von Neumanns name is the most well-known and thus settles the issue The model von Neumann came up with for the basic computer structure is still today, with modifications for speed and size, the foundation for many computers (Academic Press, 2002, Section 1, p. 527). The Academic Press Dictionary states that von Neumanns report was so well-received because it had incredible focus on the logical principles and organization of the computer rather than on the electrical and electronic technology required for its implementation (p. 527). As Evolution From Stone to Silicon repor ts, the first computers were mechanical and used vacuum tubes. These tubes needed to be replaced constantly (Computer Science Student Resource Website, 2003, Section 3). The EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer) invented in 1952 used magnetic tape, a revolution from the mess of wires that needed to be moved and replaced to run new programs.